Police Arrest Man in Connection with the Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

A man believed to be connected to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week is now in custody, authorities said Monday.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was apprehended in Altoona, Penn., after a McDonald's employee recognized him and contacted local authorities. He had been a person of interest in the fatal shooting of Thompson, who was gunned down early on December 4, outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a press conference on Monday that Mangione was found with a gun, a silencer, and a fake New Jersey ID that matches the one used by the suspect to check into a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan 10 days before the shooting. The weapon was believed to be a so-called "ghost gun" — one that is assembled from parts bought online, making it untraceable, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. Authorities also found a handwritten manifesto that expressed anger toward healthcare companies, accusing them of putting profits ahead of patient care, according to the New York Times.

“We don’t think there’s any specific threats to other people mentioned in that document, but it does seem that he has some ill will towards corporate America,” Kenny said. 

Mangione is in custody in Pennsylvania on a firearm charge, among others. He has been charged with murder in New York.

Thompson, 50, was visiting New York City for his company’s annual investor conference, which police say he was walking to alone when he was shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel at around 6:45 a.m. “Our hope is that today’s apprehension brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues, and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy,” a spokesperson for UnitedHealth Group said in a statement Tuesday.

Tisch said in a press conference on Wednesday that the “brazen, targeted attack” was “premeditated,” and the shooter seemed to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind and opening fire. 

Here is what we know so far about the killing of Thompson and the ongoing investigation.

Who is Luigi Mangione

Mangione, the 26-year-old man now in custody for his suspected role in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was found by authorities with a three-page handwritten manifesto that criticized health care companies for putting profits above care, the New York Times reported.

Investigators believe that Magione acted alone and did not have any help from those inside the company to track Thompson before the fatal shooting. “We believe at this point—our investigation is leaning toward he was acting alone,” Kenny said on Monday. He added that the investigation is ongoing.

Kenny said that Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, with ties to San Francisco and Pennsylvania, and that his most recent known address was in Honolulu. He added that he attended college in Pennsylvania. Prior to his arrest, he had no known criminal record in New York. 

According to the Baltimore Sun, Mangione was valedictorian at Gilman School, a private all-boys institution in Baltimore. A person with the same name graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with an engineering degree.

Police continue to share details about the shooting

According to police, the gunman was masked and arrived on foot to the scene of the crime about five minutes before the shooting took place on Wednesday, also stopping at a Starbucks nearby according to surveillance photos obtained by the authorities. 

Many people passed the gunman, dressed in a dark, hooded coat and a grey backpack, as he waited for Thompson to arrive.

Then, the suspect shot Thompson several times in the back and leg, as at least one witness stood nearby. After firing several times, the gun appeared to jam. The gunman seemed to clear the jam and continue shooting as he walked toward Thompson, according to police.

After being found at the scene by authorities, Thompson was rushed to Mount Sinai West hospital where he was pronounced dead at around 7:12 a.m.

ABC News reported that bullet cases found at the scene were inscribed with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.” 

TIME reached out to the NYPD Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information who were unable to confirm or comment on the reports of writing on the bullet casings.

A 5-day manhunt 

For five days, the NYPD had been pursuing a manhunt for the gunman, utilizing their vast system of cameras, both public and private, that the police can scour to locate people.

Tisch, the New York City Police Commissioner, told reporters that the gunman fled first on foot into an alley a few blocks from the scene of the crime. There, the NYPD found a discarded cellphone, which they are working on identifying. 

Eventually, he continued on foot then on a Citi Bike e-bike, and was last seen riding the bike into Central Park on Center Drive.

After completing sweeps of Central Park with officers and drones in a grid search, police reportedly found a backpack, believed to be owned by the gunman, in the park, according to the New York Times.

The NYPD shared a series of images of the suspect on Wednesday, in which the unidentified male’s face was partially covered. On Thursday morning, the NYPD released clearer images of “a person of interest wanted for questioning,” and once again appealed to the public for any information.

In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), the NYPD said: “Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4. This does not appear to be a random act of violence; all indications are that it was a premediated, targeted attack.”

They continued: “The full investigative efforts of the NYPD are continuing, and we are asking for the public’s help—if you have any information about this case, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). There is a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.”

These photos seem to have been taken at an Upper West Side hostel that law enforcement officials are now investigating, according to the Times.

On Friday night, the FBI also posted the photos of the person of interest at the hostel, offering a $50,000 reward for anyone who has information that will lead to arrest.

A senior law enforcement official is quoted as telling the Times that the person of interest photographed used a fake New Jersey identification to book a room at a hostel, checking in on Nov. 24 after arriving in the city via bus. He then checked out of the hostel on Nov. 29, before checking back in the next day.

A spokesperson for the residence in question, the HI New York Hostel, told CBS News that they are “fully cooperating with the NYPD,” but “as this is an active investigation, cannot comment at this time.”

On Friday, Tisch and NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny sat down for an interview with CNN, in which they said they have “reason to believe” that the person of interest has left New York City since Wednesday’s shooting, citing surveillance camera footage.

“We have him in a taxi cab, and the taxi cab takes him up to 178th street and Broadway, which, as we know, is a Port Authority Bus Center. Those buses are interstate buses, that’s why we believe he may have left New York City,” Kenny said, stating that the department is now looking into what buses he may have taken.

NYPD officials reportedly arrived in Atlanta on Saturday, following leads in connection to the case.

On Sunday, the NYPD released two new photographs of the person of interest via social media, one of which shows him in the back of a vehicle, and the other showing him walking alongside the vehicle. In both images, the person is wearing a mask and a hood. “The full investigative efforts of the NYPD are continuing,” the NYPD wrote.

How Thompson’s family and workplace responded to his killing 

Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, is quoted as having  provided a statement via her sister to CBS News on Wednesday. 

"Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives. Most importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and will be greatly missed,” she said. “We appreciate your well wishes and request complete privacy as our family moves through this difficult time.”

On Thursday morning, Paulette told NBC News that her husband had received threats previously.

“Yes, there had been some threats… I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”

During the NYPD press conference, Kenny told reporters that Thompson did not seem to have any security.

“Speaking to other employees that traveled with him to New York, it doesn't seem like he had a security detail,” he said. “He left the hotel by himself, was walking, didn't seem like he had any issues at all.”

Meanwhile, the UnitedHealth Group reacted to the shooting in a statement released on Wednesday, sharing that they are working closely with the NYPD as investigations continue.

“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” the company said. “Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”