‘Person of interest’ in custody over United Healthcare CEO shooting: NYPD 

Police in Pennsylvania have taken a “person of interest” into custody in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on Monday that the man had been identified by a worker at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, based on photos released by police. The worker then alerted police in the town, which is located about 375km (233 miles) west of New York City.

The suspect, identified by Tisch as 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione, was carrying multiple fraudulent IDs and a US passport at the time of his arrest. One of the IDs matched one the suspect used to check into a hostel in New York City before the shooting, she said.

Mangione had what appeared to be a 3D-printed firearm, known as a “ghost gun”, and a suppressor on him when he was arrested, and police recovered clothing, “including a mask, consistent with those worn by our wanted individual”, Tisch said.

Writings that indicated “ill will towards corporate America” were also found on Mangione, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters.

He said detectives were being sent to Pennsylvania to question Mangione, who had not immediately been charged.

‘Brazen’ attack

The arrest comes five days after 50-year-old Thompson was fatally shot outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where he was attending a conference.

The brazen morning attack was caught on surveillance camera, but the shooter was able to escape via bike, entering the sprawling Central Park. The suspect was last seen near a bus terminal in upper Manhattan.

A backpack believed to be the attacker’s was later found in Central Park, where police dogs and divers on Monday were continuing to search for further evidence.

Police have released several photos of the suspect in recent days as they have continued to piece together his steps.

Reporting from outside the hotel where Thompson was shot, Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey said police have hailed those images as key to the break in the case.

“Police circulated these images of the suspect so that he was spotted in Pennsylvania and taken into custody,” she said.

‘Deny’, ‘defend’ and ‘depose’

The shooting and subsequent manhunt has struck a nerve in the United States, where critics have long railed against the high cost of healthcare and the outsized influence of insurance companies. Particular attention has been paid to the high salaries of those companies’ leaders.

While police have cautioned they have not determined the motive in the killing, bullets at the scene were inscribed with the words “deny”, “defend” and “depose”.

That appeared to reference a phrase used by critics to describe how health insurers dodge claim payouts.

Several doctors and US residents have taken to social media in recent days, simultaneously condemning the killing while reciting incidents in which they felt insurers had unfairly denied treatment claims.

Such denials can leave patients with no choice but to pay out of pocket in the country with the world’s most expensive healthcare system.