JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Authorities have made a major breakthrough in the investigation into the murder of Brian Thompson, the United Healthcare CEO who was gunned down last week in New York. This morning, police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, arrested a 26-year-old man, Luigi Mangione. Mangione is being described as a strong person of interest in the shooting. NPR's Brian Mann is following all of this and joins us from New York. Hi there.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Hi there, Juana.
SUMMERS: So Brian, there was a nationwide manhunt underway. What do police say led to the sudden arrest?
MANN: Yeah. So in the days after Brian Thompson was killed, New York City Police distributed photographs of the man they believed was the shooter. One image picked up by a surveillance camera included part of his face. So this morning in Altoona, in central Pennsylvania, people at a McDonald's restaurant saw a man who looked similar. They called police. Luigi Mangione was questioned and then detained by Altoona patrolman Tyler Frye, who spoke this evening at a press conference.
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TYLER FRYE: He was wearing a blue medical mask. As soon as we pulled that down - or we asked him to pull it down, me and my partner and I recognized him immediately. Just didn't even think twice about it - we knew that was our guy.
SUMMERS: Brian, why are police so sure Mangione committed this crime?
MANN: Well, Juana, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch spoke about this earlier today. She says Mangione was taken into custody, still carrying a bunch of evidence that allegedly links him to Brian Thompson's shooting.
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JESSICA TISCH: Officers recovered a firearm on his person, as well as a suppressor, both consistent with the weapon used in the murder. They also recovered clothing, including a mask, consistent with those worn by our wanted individual. Additionally, officers recovered a handwritten document that speaks to both his motivation and mindset.
MANN: Authorities are describing that document as three pages of handwritten material. They include, and this is a quote from authorities, "ill will toward corporate America." We haven't yet heard exactly what Mangione wrote or exactly what his motives might have been. He was arraigned tonight on relatively low-level Pennsylvania state charges, including charges of carrying false documents and possessing an illegal weapon.
SUMMERS: And Brian, lastly, if you could just remind us of the details of this crime and who the victim, Brian Thompson, was.
MANN: Yeah, Thompson was CEO of United Healthcare, the largest private insurance firm in the U.S. He was 50 years old, with a wife and two sons. A lot of the public's attention, especially on social media, has focused on the fact that he worked in this controversial industry for a health insurance company that angered many customers by denying coverage. Speaking tonight in Altoona, Pennsylvania's Governor Josh Shapiro actually voiced anger about some of that public reaction.
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JOSH SHAPIRO: In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this - he is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald's this morning.
MANN: So NYPD detectives have now arrived in Altoona to interview Luigi Mangione. They say they're going to begin forensic work to confirm their suspicion that the firearm he allegedly carried is linked to Thompson's death. We expect Mangione to face far more serious state charges back in New York as this investigation moves forward.
SUMMERS: NPR's Brian Mann in New York. Thank you, Brian.
MANN: Thank you.
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