Brian Thompson killing: Health care boss shooting suspect appears in court after being arrested by rookie officer
A man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive has been held in custody after a brief court appearance in Pennsylvania.
Police arrested Luigi Nicholas Mangione on Monday after a McDonald’s employee in Altoona alerted authorities to a customer, who was found with a gun, mask and writings linking him to the ambush.
The 26 -year-old, who was charged with weapons, forgery and other charges, will be extradited to New York to face charges in connection with Mr Thompson’s death.
Brian Thompson shooting – what we know
The chance sighting at the restaurant led to a dramatic break in the fast-moving investigation.
Officer Tyler Frye, who has only been on the job for about six months, and a fellow officer responded to the McDonald’s where the suspect was spotted.
Patrolman Tyler Frye arrested the New York suspect in a McDonald’s
They asked him to pull his blue medical mask down and “recognised him immediately”.
Officer Frye said: “We didn’t even think twice about it, we knew that was our guy.
“It feels good to get a guy like that off the street, especially starting my career this way, it feels great.”
Court documents said Mangione began shaking when the officers asked if he had been in New York recently.
UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson.
Pic: UnitedHealth Group/AP
Governor Josh Shapiro said that “in some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero”.
“Hear me on this, he is no hero,” the Democrat added.
“The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this morning.”
NYPD chief of detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco and has a last known address in Honolulu.
Police found a three-page document with writings suggesting Mangione had “ill will toward corporate America”, Mr Kenny said.
Mr Thompson, 50, was killed last Wednesday as he walked alone to a hotel, where UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was holding its annual investor conference.
Footage showed the attacker walking up slowly behind Mr Thompson and opening fire outside the Hilton hotel in what has been described as a “premeditated, preplanned targeted attack”.
Shell casings found at the scene where the executive was killed had “deny”, “delay”, and “depose” written on them.
Charlie Kirk has been posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump.
The USA’s highest civilian honour was received by the conservative activist’s widow, Erika, at the White House.
Mr Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on 10 September while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.
He founded Turning Point USA and toured American university campuses, debating students about current affairs.
Erika Kirk at the White House. Pic: Reuters
Erika Kirk and Donald Trump. Pic: Reuters
Addressing those attending the ceremony in the White House rose garden, the US president said they were there to “honour and remember a fearless warrior for liberty” and a “beloved leader who galvanised the next generation”.
He said Mr Kirk’s name was being entered “forever into the eternal roster of true American heroes”.
Mr Trump described Charlie Kirk as an “American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality and the highest calibre”.
He said his nation had been “robbed” of an “extraordinary champion”.
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Has Charlie Kirk become a MAGA ‘martyr’?
And Mr Trump said Mr Kirk was assassinated in the “prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith, and relentlessly fighting for a better and stronger America”.
The ceremony coincided with what would have been Mr Kirk’s 32nd birthday.
Mr Trump described Erika Kirk, now head of Turning Point USA, as someone who had “endured unspeakable hardship with unbelievable strength”.
Read more:
What do we know about Erika Kirk?
Charlie Kirk’s movement is growing in wake of his assassination
Charlie Kirk. File pic: AP
A 22-year-old man, Tyler Robinson, from the city of Washington in Utah has been charged with Mr Kirk’s murder. Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty.
At a memorial event held at a stadium in Arizona, Erika Kirk told an enormous crowd she forgave her husband’s killer.
“The answer to hate is not hate,” she said.
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