Authorities have arrested the man suspected of killing UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson in a brazen shooting outside a Manhattan hotel last week, New York City officials said on Monday (Dec 9), ending a massive five-day manhunt.
The suspect, identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, was captured in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after he was spotted eating at a McDonald's by an employee of the fast food restaurant who believed he resembled the gunman, officials said at a news conference.
Mangione was led into the Blair County courthouse in Altoona for his arraignment on Monday night, where gun and forgery charges were read against him. The judge asked Mangione if he understood the charges against him, and he said he did. No plea was entered.
Prosecutors, citing false IDs and a large sum of cash found on Mangione, argued he was a flight risk and asked that bail be denied, which it was.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he expected Mangione to face charges in New York shortly.
Mangione was found with a "ghost gun" — a firearm assembled from parts, making it untraceable — and a silencer consistent with the weapon used to shoot Thompson, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, as well as clothing and a mask similar to those worn by the killer.
The charging document against Mangione stated that the ghost gun was produced by a 3D printer.
Mangione, a Maryland native, had multiple fraudulent identifications, including a fake New Jersey ID that matched the one used by the gunman to check into a Manhattan hostel days before the shooting, officials said.
Police also found a handwritten document that speaks to "both his motivation and his mindset," Tisch said. While the document did not mention specific targets, Mangione harboured "ill will toward corporate America," Kenny added.
Mangione graduated from a private all-boys school in Baltimore as valedictorian in 2016 before earning dual engineering degrees at the University of Pennsylvania, according to media reports, social media posts and school records. His last known address was in Honolulu, officials said.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel early on Wednesday morning by a masked man who appeared to wait for his arrival before shooting the executive from behind.
The suspect ran from the scene and then rode a bike into Central Park. Surveillance video captured him exiting the park and taking a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan, where police believe he used a bus to flee the city.
Police said Thompson appeared to be deliberately targeted.
The words "deny," "defend" and "depose" were carved into shell casings found at the scene, several news outlets have reported. The words evoke the title of a book critical of the insurance industry published in 2010 titled "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It."
Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering, according to a commencement programme.
A Facebook profile that appears to belong to Mangione identified him as a native of Towson, Maryland, and a former student at the University of Pennsylvania. Photos appear to show Mangione at Stanford University wearing Stanford-branded clothing.
Neither university immediately responded to requests for comment.
An X account that appears owned by Mangione says he has an M.S.E. and B.S.E. in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania and lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Thompson's murder unleashed a wave of frustration from Americans who have seen their health insurance claims or care denied, faced unexpected costs or paid more for premiums and medical care — all trends that are rising, according to recent data.
Thompson, a father of two, had been CEO of UnitedHealth Group's insurance unit since April 2021, part of a 20-year career with the company. He had been in New York to attend the company's annual investor conference.
"Our hope is that today's apprehension brings some relief to Brian's family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy," a spokesperson for UnitedHealth said.
Source: Reuters
