UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect arrested, McDonald’s employee alerted cops

A 26-year-old man was arrested on gun charges in Pennsylvania in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week.

New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, with murder. Mangione, who also possessed a gun and multiple fake identity documents, was found at a McDonald’s store in Altoona, Pennsylvania with a gun and a suppressor “both consistent with the weapon used in the murder”, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, CNN reported.

Tisch said the McDonald’s employee saw him sitting and eating and was suspicious of his movements, following which she called the police. A fake New Jersey ID card, matching the one the suspect had used to check into the New York City hotel before the shooting, was found by authorities. A three-page manifesto was also recovered which “spoke to both his motivation and mindset”, she added.

New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the document did not contain any specific threats, but had indicated an “ill will towards corporate America”. “These parasites had it coming,” a line from the manifesto read, which was seen by a police official. Another line from the document read, “I do apologise for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”

According to Kenny, the suspect acted alone, and he was self-funded. NYPD detectives were on their way to Pennsylvania where they could question the suspect. Late Monday, Manhattan prosecutors filed murder and other charges against Mangione, according to an online court docket.

He remained jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police.

HOW THE SUSPECT WAS IDENTIFIED AND CAUGHT
Kenny credited the McDonald’s employee for recognising the suspect, saying it was due to the police’s efforts to widely circulate the photos of the gunman without a face mask, which the NYPD released last week. He said that the firearm that was recovered from the suspect was a ghost gun “that had the capability of firing a 9mm round”, and it may have been 3D printed, CNN reported.

According to Kenny, Mangione was born in Maryland and his last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii, and had no prior arrests in New York. Tisch said police recovered “clothing, including a mask, consistent with those worn by our wanted individual”.

The suspect’s arrest seemingly brought an end to a massive manhunt that stretched for five days and which saw police widening its search beyond New York and using its divers to search for clues and investigate evidence.

Police also recovered bullet casings with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” inscribed on them at the scene. The words echo the phrase “delay, deny, defend”, often used by critics of insurance companies that delay payments, deny claims, and defend their actions.

SUSPECT IS A POSTGRADUATE
According to the suspect’s LinkedIn page, he worked as a data engineer and has a bachelor’s and master’s of science engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. A university spokesperson confirmed to The Guardian about Mangione’s educational credentials.

Video footage showed the gunman riding a bicycle into Central Park and later taking a taxi to a bus terminal that offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington DC. Police said the suspect was believed to have left New York City in an intercity bus after he was captured on camera entering the bus terminal but not exiting it.

According to The New York Times, Mangione arrived in Altoona on a Greyhound bus, hours before the police identified him and arrested him.

SHOOTING OF UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO
On December 4, Thompson, 50, died after being shot in the back and leg outside a hotel in Manhattan, where he was attending an annual investor conference. Police termed the shooting as a targeted attack. He left behind his wife and two sons.

The gunman arrived in New York City on November 24, having travelled on a bus from Atlanta. He checked into a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side using a fake identification card and paying in cash. Earlier photos of the suspect, taken in the hostel lobby, showed him smiling and ostensibly flirting with the receptionist, providing one of the few unmasked glimpses of the individual.

The FBI joined the investigation and offered a USD 50,000 reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest. Before the suspect was caught, the NYPD had released two new photos of the gunman that were believed to be captured from a dashcam mounted inside a taxi.

Reacting to the suspect’s arrest, a UnitedHealth Group spokesperson said, “We hope today’s apprehension brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues, and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy.”

“We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy as they mourn,” the spokesperson said. A private memorial service for Thompson was held on Monday, a person familiar with the plans told CNN.