December 9th 2024.
Law enforcement sources have reported that the man suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on December 4th has been taken into custody for questioning. According to ABC News, the suspect, identified as Luigi Mangione, was stopped in Altoona, Pennsylvania after being recognized by someone at a McDonald's. Police had circulated photos of the suspect prior to his detainment.
Upon searching Mangione, police found a gun similar to the one believed to be used in Thompson's murder, as well as a computer. Sources say that the suspect had checked into a hotel on the Upper East Side using a fake New Jersey license before the shooting. A newly released video also shows the suspect allowing others to pass before crossing the street to shoot Thompson at close range, confirming authorities' belief that he specifically targeted the CEO. However, ABC News reports that police currently have no known motive for the shooting.
After the incident, the suspect fled on a bicycle through Central Park and eventually took a taxi to the Port Authority bus facility. Photos released by the New York Police Department show the suspect in the back of a taxi, looking through the partition between the front and back seats, as well as walking by the windows of a cab. Investigators believe that the suspect arrived in New York City via a bus from Atlanta, but his exact origin is still unknown.
Four days after the shooting, the NYPD Dive Team discovered a backpack near the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park containing a jacket and fake money from the game Monopoly. However, no gun was found. The electric bike the suspect used to reach the taxi is also missing. According to CNN, the suspect had a "ghost gun" - a homemade weapon that is untraceable. He also had a document with him that appeared to be against the healthcare industry and advocated for violence, according to a law enforcement official.
Police were able to obtain a partial fingerprint from a "burner phone" believed to belong to the suspect. However, DNA obtained from a water bottle and energy bar wrapper that the suspect allegedly purchased did not yield any matches. Despite these initial setbacks, law enforcement sources say that the suspect made several mistakes that ultimately led to his identification and capture.
Following the shooting, social media users showed little sympathy for Thompson's death, with many expressing anger towards UnitedHealthcare and the healthcare industry as a whole. Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole spoke to CNN before the suspect was caught, stating that with the amount of resources and manpower involved in the investigation, she believed it was only a matter of days before the suspect's identity was revealed.
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