DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,
Police have been searching for gunman since Brian Thompson fatally shot in ‘brazen’ Midtown Manhattan attack.
Police in Pennsylvania have taken a “person of interest” into custody for the the fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week, according to the New York Police Department.
Speaking on Monday, NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch said the man had been identified by a worker at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, who alerted authorities.
The man, identified by Tisch as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was carrying multiple fraudulent IDs and a US passport at the time of his arrest. He had a firearm and suppressor on him, and police recovered clothing “including a mask consistent with those worn by our wanted individual”, Tisch said.
Writings that indicated “ill will towards corporate America” were also found on Mangione, an NYPD detective said.
The arrest comes five days after Thompson was fatally shot outside of his hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The brazen early morning attack was caught on surveillance camera, but the shooter was able to escape via bike, entering the sprawling Central Park.
At the scene police found bullets with the words “deny”, “defend” and “depose” – a phrase used to describe how insurers dodge claim payout
The suspect was last seen near a bus terminal in upper Manhattan. A backpack believed to be the attackers was found in Central Park.
Monday’s development came as dogs and divers returned to New York’s Central Park while the dragnet for Thompson’s killer stretched into a sixth day.
Investigators have been combing the park since the Wednesday shooting and have been searching at least one of its ponds for three days, looking for evidence that may have been thrown into it.
The killing has been widely condemned, it has also sparked renewed attention on insurance companies’ role within the US healthcare system, with doctors and US residents reciting incidents where they felt insurers had unfairly denied claims.
This is a developing story.
