Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, was shot and killed by a masked gunman on Wednesday, December 4th. The incident happened early in the morning at 6:44 a.m. outside of the New York Hilton Midtown hotel. Thompson was shot at the side entrance of the hotel, and soon after, the gunman made a quick escape. Investigators were in search of the suspect for 5 days before discovering their identity. As they searched, they continued to find more evidence that led them to the shooter.
The suspect was first seen leaving a hostel in the Upper West Side of Manhattan at 5:41 a.m. 11 minutes later, security footage caught him pacing in front of the hotel wearing a backpack. After shooting the CEO in front of the hotel, he quickly fled then rode a bicycle to Central Park. More surveillance footage recorded the gunman leaving the park at 6:56 a.m. on the bike but without the backpack. He then got in a Taxi and arrived at a bus terminal near George Washington Bridge at 7:30 a.m. While in all the video footage the shooter had a mask covering his face, there was one surveillance image of the suspect without his face mask on. Police have been able to use that to find the shooter but claim it has been difficult. Since then, there has been no more video evidence of the suspect.
Police had also been collecting some physical evidence in hopes to reveal the identity of the shooter. That Friday evening, they found the backpack worn by the shooter outside of central park as well as some clothes that could have belonged to him. In addition, a water bottle with fingerprints and a phone were found which were sent to a lab for testing. While police analyzed the cellphone, they also investigated bullet casings found at the crime scene with inscriptions that said “deny”, “defend”, and “depose”. These terms have been associated with insurance companies’ strategies for rejecting claims which could be a possible clue to the motive of the shooter. Police, however, are still unaware of the true motive. “When I first found out about this incident, I was really shocked that it happened. Every time I hear more about the case, it just gets even crazier,” says sophomore Sarah Patchin. “I’m sure he did this because of some dissatisfaction with the healthcare system.”
Five days later on Monday, December 9th, police identified Luigi Mangione as the prime suspect. The 26-year-old was arrested in a McDonalds in the Western Pennsylvania city of Altoona after he was found with a similar gun used in the shooting. While it is not completely confirmed that Mangione is the killer of Brian Thompson, the New York Mayor claims he is “a strong person of interest in the shooting that shook our city”. According to officials, Mangione was found with multiple fake ID’s and the 3D printed gun with a suppressor. He is currently being held in a single cell at the “maximum custody level” at a prison in Pennsylvania.
As the case continues to unravel, investigators have also found and published Mangione’s manifesto. Newsweek Magazines shared many important parts of Mangione’s handwritten three-page manifesto which states that he apologizes for any trauma and that he wasn’t working with anyone. In the manifesto, he also says that the UnitedHealthcare company had it coming since the U.S has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world and yet is ranked #42 in life expectancy. Mangione claims the business is abusing its power in the country. His manifesto was found on him while he was arrested at the McDonalds.
While many might have thought the public would sympathize for Thompson, the reaction has been the complete opposite. Much of the attention to this case has been from the frustration of the healthcare industry. The public’s backlash towards the company comes from Thompson’s and other healthcare businesses’ history of denying health care to people who need it. The public’s lay of blame for health insurance recipients’ lack of coverage under UnitedHealthcare has caused more people to side with and understand the shooter, Luigi Mangione. “I do believe that the shooter should get charged with murder because of what he did, but I also understand why he did it and his frustration with the healthcare system in America,” says senior Stella Brewer.
There is still much to uncover about the incident. Police are continuing to investigate Luigi Mangione and the case to get more information of why this happened.
