Authorities arrested a Pennsylvania man on Monday who police said was involved in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week.
Police arrested Luigi Mangione, 26, of Altoona five days after Thompson was shot in Midtown Manhattan in the early morning hours of Wednesday, December 4, starting a search for the shooter, who remains unidentified. Mangione was detained after he visited a McDonald’s location in Altoona, where other guests noticed his resemblance to an image of the shooting suspect released by the New York Police Department and contacted authorities , according to New York Times.
The NYPD did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
Before Mangione’s arrest, NYPD investigators had mapped the alleged shooter’s movements around New York City since late November, including his stays at a home. vacation in Manhattan, where the suspect was photographed without a mask. Police later found the suspect’s backpack in Central Park, where he fled after the shooting, according to the NYPD. Authorities believe he left New York City on a bus.
Online profiles show that Luigi Mangione is an app developer who graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s of science in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in May 2020. A GitHub account it appears to be Mangione’s, and an Instagram account for game development company AppRoarr Studios says he’s a co-founder there. AppRoarr did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
At the scene of Thompson’s shooting outside the New York Hilton Midtown, NYPD investigators discovered bullet casings with the words “delay,” “offer,” and “deny,” possibly referring to to the way health insurance companies refuse to cover medical expenses for customers. claim. According to timeAuthorities said Mangione was issuing a “manifesto” that included a passage “criticizing health care companies that put profits over care.”
UnitedHealthcare did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment. In a statement provided to other media, a company spokesperson said: “We hope that today’s scare will bring relief to family, friends, Brian’s colleagues and many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy. We thank law enforcement and will continue to cooperate with them in this investigation. We ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy as they mourn.”
