Authorities detained a man in central Pennsylvania on Monday in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week, who was found in possession of a gun, a silencer and false identification cards used by the killer, multiple media outlets reported. Were.
CNN, citing unnamed officials, reported that investigators received a tip about the man after he was seen at a McDonald’s in Altoona by someone who thought he looked like the suspected killer.
The New York Times, citing a law enforcement official, reported that the man being questioned was carrying a handwritten “manifesto” criticizing healthcare companies for prioritizing profits over care.
One of the false cards found in the man’s possession also matched an ID the suspect had used to check into a Manhattan hostel before the shooting, the Times reports.
According to the Times, the man has been arrested on local charges, possibly in connection with presenting a false ID to police, and New York detectives are heading to Altoona.
Neither the New York City Police Department nor the Altoona Police Department responded to requests for comment.
Thompson, 50, was shot outside a Manhattan hotel on Wednesday morning by a masked man who waited for the executive to arrive before shooting him in the back.
Police have not publicly identified a motive but have said it appears Thompson was intentionally targeted.
Multiple news outlets reported that shell casings found at the scene had the words “deny,” “rescue” and “depose” engraved on them. These words reflect the title of a book critical of the insurance industry published in 2010, titled “Delay, Deny, Avoid: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.”
The suspect, who police have not identified, fled the scene and then rode a bike to Central Park. Surveillance video captured him leaving the park and taking a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan, where police believe he used the bus to flee the city.
Thompson, a father of two, 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 to attend the company’s annual investor conference.
A UnitedHealth spokesperson declined to comment on the latest reports.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
