A 26-year-old man was arrested by police with a weapon similar to the one used in the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare last week, New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch reported this Monday.
According to Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenn, the individual was identified as Luigi Nicholas Mangione, adding that he was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco and his last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The man was taken into custody after police received a tip that he was seen at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania, Tisch said.
“They also recovered clothing, including a mask similar to those worn by the individual we were looking for,” Tisch said. “A fake New Jersey ID was recovered that matches the ID our suspect used to check into his New York City hostel prior to the shooting.”
UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was killed last Wednesday while walking alone to a Hilton hotel where UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was holding its annual conference with investors, according to police.
The gunman appeared to “wait in wait for several minutes” before approaching the executive from behind and opening fire, Tisch said. The man used a 9mm pistol, which police said was similar to the weapons farmers use to slaughter animals without making much noise.
In the days after the murder, police turned to the public for help by releasing a series of photos and videos, including images of the attack, as well as photos of the suspect at a Starbucks previously.
Photos taken in the lobby of a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side showed the suspect smiling after removing his mask, police said.
Ammunition found near Thompson’s body bore the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” imitating a phrase used by critics of the insurance industry.
The gunman concealed his identity with a mask during the shooting, but left a trail of evidence, including a backpack he abandoned in Central Park, a cell phone found in a pedestrian plaza and a water bottle and protein bar wrapper that, according to the police, bought at Starbucks minutes before the attack.
The FBI announced Friday night that it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect, adding to a reward of up to $10,000 that the NYPD has offered. Police believe the suspect acted alone.
On Saturday night, police released two additional photos of the suspect that appeared to be from a camera mounted inside a taxi. The first shows him outside the vehicle and the second shows him looking through the partition between the back seat and the front of the taxi. In both, his face is partially hidden by a blue mask.
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