Suspect in killing of UnitedHealth executive in custody, New York mayor says

A “strong person of interest” in the killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel last week is in custody, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Monday.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania after he was spotted at a McDonald’s restaurantby someone who believed he resembled the gunman, officials said at a news conference.

Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel early on Wednesday morning by a masked man who appeared to wait for his arrival before shooting the executive from behind.

Police have not publicly identified a motive but have said Thompson appeared to be deliberately targeted.

The words “deny”, “defend” and “depose” were carved into shell casings found at the scene, several news outlets have reported. The words evoke the title of a book critical of the insurance industry published in 2010 titled Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.

The suspect ran from the scene and then travelled by bicycle into Central Park. Surveillance video captured him exiting the park and taking a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan, where police believe he used a bus to flee the city.