Following the arrest of a man on suspicion of murdering CEO Brian Thompson, police have found a supposed manifesto.
As you've probably seen, a man linked to the shocking murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was arrested yesterday (December 9).
The suspect was apprehended in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after attempting to use a fake ID at a McDonald’s.
Authorities found the man in possession of a gun with a silencer, four fake IDs, and a manifesto, items described as “consistent” with the investigation into Thompson’s killing.
The man has been named as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, per BBC News.
Brian Thompson, 50, was fatally shot outside the Hilton on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan last Wednesday morning. He had been scheduled to speak at an investors’ conference at the hotel.
Surveillance footage captured the masked gunman calmly approaching Thompson from behind on a crowded sidewalk just before 7:00AM and opening fire with a handgun believed to have been fitted with a silencer.
Thompson was struck multiple times, including in the back and calf. The assailant fled the scene on an e-bike.
Thompson was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that the attack was targeted, per the New York Post.
“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch said.
Regarding the manifesto found on Mangione's person, it allegedly gave an insight into the motivation behind the killing.
According to the New York Post, the manifesto accused insurance companies of exploiting Americans for profit.
“The reality is, these [companies] have gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit," Mangione allegedly wrote.
The note also stated that he acted alone and expressed regret for the trauma caused, but claimed his actions “had to be done.”
“Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming,” the manifesto reportedly read, according to police sources.
A psychiatrist consulted by The Daily Beast, Dr. Carole Lieberman, suggested that the Monopoly money found in the suspect’s bag symbolized his view of UnitedHealthcare as a monopoly exploiting patients.
“I believe the gunman planned to scatter the Monopoly money around the CEO’s body after the shooting but forgot to take it out of his backpack,” Lieberman said.
Retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer added that the crime appeared to have been premeditated and designed to send a message.
“This seems much larger, like a vigilante, somebody who is well prepared to make a big statement and that he blames UnitedHealthcare in this situation,” Coffindaffer told the publication.
Brian Thompson, a father of two, had been CEO of UnitedHealthcare since 2021 and earned nearly $10 million in 2022, according to reports. His sudden death has sent shockwaves through the healthcare and business communities.
UnitedHealth Group issued a statement describing Thompson as “a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him.” Flags at the company’s Minnetonka, Minnesota, headquarters were flown at half-staff in his honor.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called Thompson’s death “a terrible loss for the business and healthcare community.”