'Strong person of interest' in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO arrested

The NYPD confirmed officials arrested a “strong person of interest” in connection to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. — Image credit: AP Images

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The New York City Police Department confirmed Monday, Dec. 9, that officials arrested a “strong person of interest” in connection to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Officials named 26-year-old Luigi Mangione as the only person of interest in the case.

Police took Mangione into custody after receiving a tip that he was spotted in Pennsylvania.

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Mangione carried a ghost gun, resembling the weapon used to kill Thompson, Pennsylvania police said.

“At this time, he is believed to be our person of interest in the brazen, targeted murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare last Wednesday in Midtown Manhattan,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters.

Handwritten letter reveals motive

The Altoona Police Department in Pennsylvania confiscated multiple fake IDs and a three-page handwritten document from Mangione.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the document showed Mangione had “ill will toward corporate America.”

Law enforcement sources told the New York Post that social media profiles showed Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.

His apparent account on book review site GoodReads includes a positive review for the manifesto of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski.

Brian Thomspon’s killing

Police described Thompson’s shooting as a targeted attack, with footage showing a shooter waiting for the CEO.

The shooting occurred early Wednesday, Dec. 4. Surveillance tracked the suspect’s escape through Midtown Manhattan and into Central Park. The suspect temporarily hid in the park and found his way out of the city, police said.

Bullet casings found at the scene of the shooting had etchings of the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose.” The first two are part of a common phrase describing insurance companies’ approach to avoid paying claims.

Police said the suspect acted alone based on the confiscated letter.

Roey Hadar (Producer) and Michael Edwards (Video Editor) contributed to this report.

Tags: Crime, Health, Health Care, health insurance, New York, New York City, NYPD, Pennsylvania, UnitedHealthcare, University of Pennsylvania

LAUREN TAYLOR: Police have arrested a, quote, “strong person of interest” in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The NYPD says a 26-year-old man, identified as Luigi Mangione, is in police custody after a tip spotting him at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania on Monday morning.

Officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, say Mangione had a gun resembling the one used to kill Thompson last week… adding the gun they found with Mangione was a ghost gun – one that can be homemade and have no serial number to track it.

Jessica Tisch // NYPD Commissioner: “At this time, he is believed to be our person of interest in the brazen, targeted murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare last Wednesday in Midtown Manhattan.”

LAUREN TAYLOR: Altoona Police found he was carrying multiple fake IDs and a three-page handwritten document that NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said showed the arrested man had, quote, “ill will toward corporate America.”

Law enforcement sources told The New York Post – the first outlet to release Mangione’s name – that social media profiles linked to him showed he received two degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.

His apparent account on book review site GoodReads, where he wrote a positive review for the manifesto of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski.

Police have described the shooting of Thompson as a targeted attack, with footage showing a shooter waiting for Thompson and letting other people pass by before the shooting.

Bullet casings police found after the shooting had etchings of the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose.” The first two are part of a common phrase used to describe the approach insurance companies take to avoid paying out to customers.

Police spent nearly a week trying to find a suspect in the shooting of Thompson, sharing pictures of the suspect from various surveillance footage.

After the shooting occurred early on Wednesday, December 4th, surveillance tracked the suspect’s escape through Midtown Manhattan and into Central Park, where he temporarily hid before police say he found his way out of New York City.

Police have said they believe the suspect acted alone. The document police found when arresting Mangione also indicated that he acted alone.

For Straight Arrow News, I’m Lauren Taylor.

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