Prosecutors in the US city of New York have brought a charge of murder against the man suspected of killing the CEOof a major health insurance company, UnitedHealth.
The suspected killer was arrested early on Monday at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 375 kilometers (233 miles) west of New York, on gun charges.
An employee at McDonald’s recognized the suspect, whose photo was released by police as part of a nationwide manhunt following the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, in central Manhattan, last week.
The New York City police commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday the 26-year-old man had a gun and a silencer in his possession “consistent” with those used in the killing of Brian Thompson.
What do we know about the suspect?
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said that police identified the suspect as Luigi M., who was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco and whose last known address is in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The gun the suspect had with him appeared to be a ghost gun, possibly made on a 3D printer, capable of firing a 9 mm bullet, Kenny added.
Luigi M. also had clothing and a mask similar to those worn by the killer, as well as multiple fraudulent identifications, including a fake New Jersey ID that matched the one used by the gunman to check into a Manhattan hostel days before the shooting.
The suspect had a handwritten document that “speaks to both his motivation and his mindset,” Tisch said. According to police, the document suggested the suspect had “ill will toward corporate America.”
How was Thompson killed?
Thompson was shot and killed outside a Manhattan hotel early Wednesday morning by a masked man who apparently waited for his arrival before shooting the executive from behind.
The suspect ran away from the scene of the crime and then rode a bicycle into Central Park. Surveillance video captured him leaving the park and taking a taxi to a bus terminal in northern Manhattan, where police believe he took a bus to flee.
Investigators have suggested that the gunman may have been a disgruntled employee or customer of the insurer. Ammunition found near Thompson’s body bore the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” mimicking a phrase used by critics of the insurance industry.
Thompson had been CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance unit since April 2021, part of a 20-year career with the company. He was in New York for the company’s annual investor conference.
*Editor’s note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.
tj,dh/rc,rm (AP, AFP, Reuters)
