A “person of interest” who was in possession of a gun and multiple false identification documents was arrested Monday in Pennsylvania in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, officials said. I was arrested.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters that the 26-year-old Altoona man, identified as Luigi Mangione, was arrested on weapons charges.
Police said the suspect was in possession of a gun similar to the one used to shoot Thompson and had a fake ID with the same name he used at the New York City hostel. It is said that
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“Additionally, officers recovered handwritten documents that speak to both his motives and his mindset,” Tisch said.
Authorities said the person being questioned was at a McDonald’s in Altoona when an employee became suspicious and called police.
Officials said Mr. Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, had ties to San Francisco and had a last known address in Hawaii. He has no past arrest record.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “We believe there are significant persons of interest.”
New York City officials said the document describing his motive was submitted in the form of three handwritten pages, and the evidence is now in the custody of the Altoona Police Department.
It was not immediately clear whether the man detained in the documents was named Thompson.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney said, “I don’t believe that document contains any specific threats against other people.” “But he seems to have some ill will toward American companies.”
The man in custody was also in possession of a weapon, which may have been homemade, and was therefore outside his law enforcement and government clearance.
“The information we’re getting from Altoona is that this gun appears to be a ghost gun and may have been made with a 3D printer,” Kenney said.
“He had a ghost gun and suppressor capable of firing 9mm rounds.”
Police said the public’s cooperation played a key role in locating the suspect.
“There are a number of lynch pins in this case,” Kenney said. “We have recovered a tremendous amount of forensic evidence, a tremendous amount of video, and once again, with your help, we have the public’s cooperation.”
Tisch said police found clothing matching the suspect and the fake identification used at a hostel in New York City.
Multiple law enforcement sources told NBC News that the name on the fake ID was Mark Rosario, and the suspect who killed Thompson checked into a New York hostel days before the attack. It matched the name used at the time.
Tisch said the man was in possession of “multiple fraudulent identification documents and a U.S. passport.” But police do not believe he was planning an international flight.
“At this time we do not believe he was planning to travel,” Kenney said. “I don’t think he was trying to flee the country.”
Thompson was shot and killed in front of the New York Hilton Midtown, about 450 miles from Altoona, by a masked assailant who approached him from behind.
Police believe the medical officer was the gunman’s only target, as other pedestrians passed him before he shot and killed Thompson.
Surveillance camera footage showed the gunman opened fire around 6:45 a.m., then fled on foot and then into Central Park on a bicycle, authorities said. Police said the last footage of the suspect showed him at a bus stop in Upper Manhattan.
According to police, each of the three recovered ammunition had the words “rejected,” “delayed,” and “discarded” written in marker pen.
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the criminals, in addition to the $10,000 total already offered by Crimestoppers and the NYPD.
“We hope that today’s concerns bring some comfort to Brian’s family, friends, co-workers, and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy,” a UnitedHealthcare representative said Monday. said. “We are grateful to law enforcement and will continue to cooperate with the investigation.”
Mr. Thompson’s murder shocked the entire corporate and medical world, raising questions about the appropriate security of top-level executives.
The shooting exposed deep and ugly resentment toward private health care companies, as social media feeds were flooded with posts celebrating, or at least justifying, Thompson’s killing.
Thompson, who lives in Minnesota, had recently received threats but had not changed his travel habits, said his wife, Paulette Thompson.
He was not with the security guard when the shooting occurred.
“Yes, there were some threats,” Paulette Thompson told NBC News hours after the attack. “Basically I don’t know, is there a lack of reporting? I don’t know the details. All I know is that he said there were people threatening him. That’s all.”
