A man in the Altoona, Pennsylvania, area was being questioned Monday in connection with last week's UnitedHealthcare CEO killing in Manhattan, in part because he was found with a gun similar to the one used in the shooting, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
The man, described as a "strong" person of interest in the death of Brian Thompson, was arrested on firearms charges. The NYPD later identified him as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione and said he had a manifesto on his person that speaks to his possible alleged motivation in the killing.
They said that manifesto included no specific threats to others, but noted "it does seem he does have some ill will towards corporate America."
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Mangione has not been charged in Thompson's death as of Monday. He appeared in court later in the evening in connection to the gun charge. A police criminal complaint charged him with forgery, carrying firearms without a license, tampering with records or identification, possessing an instrument of crime and providing false identification to law enforcement.
According to police, an employee at a local McDonald's on Monday thought Mangione looked suspicious, potentially matching the shooter's description, and called police. Arriving officers noticed a fake ID and took him in for questioning.
Once at the police station, sources said, officers discovered the man had a gun similar to the one used in Thompson's killing, as well as a silencer and a fake New Jersey ID. The suspected gunman allegedly used a fake New Jersey ID when he checked into a Manhattan hostel last month.
When an officer asked the man if he’d been to New York recently, he “became quiet and started to shake,” court documents state.
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Two senior law enforcement officials say Mangione had the name "Mark Rosario" on his fake NJ ID. Three sources familiar with the matter say the suspected gunman checked into the Upper West Side hostel using a fake NJ ID with the name “Mark Rosario.” Other fake IDs were found on Mangione Monday as well, investigators say.
The suspected gunman also may have taken a bus to get out of New York. Investigators are looking into whether Mangione had recently gotten off a bus from Philadelphia, according to a senior official. NYPD detectives are headed to the area to question the man.
Monday's developments come as a private funeral was being held for Thompson, the 50-year-old executive gunned down at point-blank range as he headed to a midtown hotel for an investors' conference last Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the plans.
For five days after the shooting -- by a man captured on surveillance cameras across Manhattan -- the killer remained on the loose. The nation's largest police department was after him, along with the FBI. Despite obtaining a clear image of his face among other evidence, authorities did not identify him until Monday, after getting the tip from the McDonald's employee.
Late Saturday, police released two additional photos of the suspected shooter that appeared to be from a camera mounted inside a taxi. The first shows him outside the vehicle, and the second shows him looking through the partition between the back seat and the front of the cab. In both, his face is partially obscured by a blue, medical-style mask.
Those photos came after authorities recovered a gray bag possibly belonging to the suspect in Central Park. The bag was taken, unopened, for forensic processing before investigators were to review its contents. Sources later said the bag contained a jacket and Monopoly money, but no gun. DNA testing was ongoing.
NYPD divers were back in the water inside the park Monday to continue their search for potential evidence related to the deadly shooting.
Retracing the gunman’s steps using surveillance video, police say, it appears he left the city by bus soon after the shooting Wednesday morning outside the New York Hilton Midtown. He was seen on video at the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal in Washington Heights about 45 minutes later, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
It was not clear which bus the suspect got on, nor was it known how he got to Altoona.
With the high-profile search expanding across state lines, the FBI announced late Friday that it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, adding to a reward of up to $10,000 that the NYPD has offered. Police say they believe the suspect acted alone.
