US detectives have arrested a 26-year-old suspect – a former Ivy League student – from Pennsylvania after a nationwide manhunt over UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killing in New York. Luigi Mangione was found with a “ghost gun” that was capable of firing 9MM rounds. He has been charged with the possession of fake IDs and a gun. Thompson, 50, was shot dead by the gunman last week when he was attending an investors’ conference.
How the suspect was identified
The cops obtained his image from a youth hostel where he had stayed before the murder. Reports suggest he had lowered his mask to flirt with a receptionist, during which he got clicked.
Read: Ex-Ivy League Student, 26, Arrested For UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Murder
New York mayor Eric Adams said he matched the description of the suspect they have been looking for. He was also found carrying many items that the cops believe are connected to the murder.
How cops caught Mangione
The staff at the Altoona McDonald’s branch had tipped off the cops about Mangione. He was wearing a mask and a beanie and working on a laptop at that time.
When the officers approached him, he gave them a fake ID.
Mangione, who studied at the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania, had used one of the fake IDs to check in to a hotel in Manhattan in New York before the murder, the police said.
He “became quiet and started to shake” when the officers asked him if he had been to New York recently, they added.
Read: Who Is Luigi Mangione, Man Behind UnitedHealthCare CEO’s Murder
Cops say material recovered from Mangione suggested he had “ill will towards corporate America.” Reports suggest the suspect had raised the high cost of healthcare in the US in the two-page note, adding that “these parasites had it coming.”
How he fled crime scene
The suspect approached Thompson from behind, wearing a hooded top and his lower face covered, and fired at him several times, video footage showed last week. Several bystanders were present during the murder and the attack was captured on CCTV.
As the UnitedHealthcare CEO fell on the ground, the suspect fled on foot and then rode a bike to Central Park. From there, he took a bus and disappeared, sparking a nationwide manhunt.
Murder charges would follow against Mangione in New York state, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told reporters, adding that people don’t kill others in cold blood to resolve policy differences. He must be extradited to New York to face the murder charges.