A senior official from the New York Police Department stated on Thursday (December 12) that the man accused of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was not a customer of the company. It is believed that he may have targeted Thompson due to the company’s size and influence.
The NYPD detective chief Joseph Kenny revealed during an interview with NBC New York that there is evidence suggesting the suspect, Luigi Mangione, was aware in advance of the annual investor conference to be held by UnitedHealth Group’s subsidiary, UnitedHealthcare, in New York City.
“We have not found any indications that he was a customer of UnitedHealthcare, but he did mention that the company is the fifth largest company in America, perhaps even the largest healthcare institution in the country,” Kenny said. “Therefore, this could be a reason why he targeted the company.”
UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest 20 companies in the United States based on market value but is not the fifth largest company, it is the largest health insurance company in America.
Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania on Monday and is currently being held in a Pennsylvania prison without bail.
Authorities reported that on the morning of December 4, the gunman waited outside the hotel where the health insurance company was holding its investor conference. He approached Thompson from behind and shot him before fleeing on a bicycle.
Mangione opposes being extradited back to New York. A hearing is scheduled for December 30.
The 26-year-old Mangione comes from a prominent real estate family in Maryland and graduated from an Ivy League school.
On Wednesday, police stated that investigators are examining his writings on health issues, as well as his critical comments on American businesses and the healthcare system in the United States.