Suspect in Shooting Death of US Insurance CEO Arrested at McDonald's Store

Arrested in Pennsylvania... Possession of Firearm Suspected to Be Used in Crime

The suspect in the shooting murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of the insurance division of UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurance company in the U.S., who was shot dead in the heart of New York City, has been arrested.

The New York Police Department held an emergency press conference on the afternoon of the 9th (local time) and announced that Luigi Manzoni, wanted as the suspect in the murder of CEO Thompson, was arrested that morning at a McDonald's in Altuna, Pennsylvania.

Wanted photo of suspect in UnitedHealth CEO murder case. Photo by Yonhap News

Manzoni is suspected of shooting CEO Thompson with a handgun on the sidewalk at the entrance of the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York, at around 6:44 a.m. on the 4th. The police initially took him into custody on charges of presenting a forged ID and are conducting further investigations regarding the murder charge.

Until now, the police had released Manzoni’s face captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) and issued a wanted notice but had difficulty locating him. Manzoni had evaded police pursuit using forged IDs and other means, but was caught by police at around 9:15 a.m. that day after a McDonald's employee recognized his face and reported it.

At the time of arrest, Manzoni was carrying a handgun believed to have been used in the crime. He was also reportedly carrying a statement criticizing the profit-seeking behavior of health insurance companies. The police have been investigating with a focus on the possibility that the crime was related to insurance payouts.

According to the New York Police Department, the handgun was identified as a so-called "ghost gun" without a serial number, made by assembling parts produced by a three-dimensional (3D) printer.

Manzoni graduated at the top of his class from a private high school in Baltimore and earned both bachelor's and master's degrees in computer engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

CEO Thompson, who was killed in the shooting, had worked at UnitedHealth Group for over 20 years and was appointed CEO of the group’s core health insurance division in 2021. He was attending the annual investor event held at the Hilton Hotel on the day of the shooting when the incident occurred.