A suspect has been arrested in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Joseph Kenny, who serves as New York City police department’s chief of detectives, announced on Monday that officials arrested 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania while he was eating at a McDonald’s restaurant and an employee identified him.
“He was sitting there eating,” Kenny said at Monday’s press conference, The Guardian reported.
As Blavity previously reported, Thompson was gunned down outside the Hilton Midtown hotel on Wednesday afternoon. A short time later, he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Security footage showed the gunman waiting outside for Thompson, who went to New York to speak at a UnitedHealth investor event. As Thompson arrived at the hotel, the suspect shot him from behind, officials said. The gunman also fired a single shot from close-range before fleeing the scene, per CNBC. Authorities described the suspect as a white male who was wearing a black hoodie and pants. He was also carrying a gray backpack, police said.
Is there a motive known in the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting?
When authorities found Mangione, he was allegedly carrying identification with his name on it and a fake New Jersey ID — which may been the same one he used to check into a hostel in Manhattan on Nov. 24, police said.
The motive for the killing is still unclear, though law enforcement officials said Mangione was carrying a handwritten “manifesto” criticizing health insurance companies for prioritizing profits over giving care to the public.
More details on Luigi Mangione
As the Guardian reported, Mangione “previously liked online quotes from ‘Unabomber’ Ted Kaczynski.”
Mangione’s LinkedIn page stated that he works as a data engineer who earned a bachelor’s and master of science engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania, according to The Guardian.
Mangione, who is a Maryland native, graduated from Gilman High School in 2016 as a valedictorian.
