A source with knowledge of the investigation into the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson told Fox News that a person fitting the suspect’s description has been taken into custody at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa.
The person has a similar gun to the one used in the shooting last Wednesday, the source added.
Police tell Fox News that a person at the McDonald’s recognized the individual from the wanted posters of the suspect and then alerted law enforcement
When police arrived, they spotted the person and found a weapon — believed to be the one used in the murder — in his pocket, along with a fake ID, according to police.
Altoona is a city located about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh.
Thompson died last Wednesday after being shot outside of a hotel in New York City. The suspect in the shooting was last seen at a bus station in upper Manhattan.
Fox News’ Martha MacCallum and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Former NYPD inspector Paul Mauro told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” Monday that “everybody is really wondering” about how the shooter knew where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson would be on the morning he was gunned down.
“How did he know that Mr. Thompson would walk down that block at that time?” Mauro said, describing how the shooter lied in wait until he allegedly opened fire around 6:40 a.m. local time last Wednesday.
“He acquires him from across the street, it’s like 60-70 feet in dark conditions, he doesn’t hesitate. Makes him [out]. Walks right out through traffic and walks around behind him and does what he does,” Mauro continued. “How could he have known? That access is the thing that everybody is really wondering.”
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing about a recent cyberattack at the company’s technology unit and its impact on patients and providers, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on May 1, 2024. (U.S. Senate/Reuters)
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty was heard telling employees in a video just days after the death of Brian Thompson that the insurer will “guard against the pressures that exist for unsafe care or for unnecessary care to be delivered in a way which makes the whole system too complex and ultimately unsustainable,” according to the New York Post.
“Our role is a critical role, and we make sure that care is safe, appropriate, and is delivered when people need it,” Witty reportedly added.
He also told employees to “tune out” criticism of the insurer, adding that the backlash against it “does not reflect reality,” the New York Post reported.
“You’ve seen a lot of media interest in this situation with a huge amount of misinformation and frankly offensive communication,” Witty also was quoted as saying, adding that “People are writing things we simply don’t recognize.”
The comments have since drawn backlash on social media.
“Dude’s next,” one person commented underneath a post on X that shared the video.
“I’m glad that killer still on the loose,” another added.
An NYPD officer points as investigators search Central Park on Monday, Dec. 9, following the killing last week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Fox News)
Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said on FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria” Monday that he believes the suspect wanted for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson will be caught “fairly soon” after he made a “lot of mistakes.”
“He made a lot of mistakes. Obviously, this is one of them. The picture where he smiles at the desk clerk,” Kelly said in reference to a clear image of the suspect’s face that was released by law enforcement.
The image reportedly was captured by a surveillance camera as the suspect was flirting with a hostel worker in the leadup to Thompson’s death.
“Facial recognition is effective, and I would hope that it’s being used in this case,” Kelly added.
He also described the suspect as a “motivated amateur.”
“And the writings on the shell casings, I think, indicate — assuming they’re legitimate and aren’t done to throw investigators off — it shows the kind of animosity that’s out there directed at insurance executives, which I never knew about,” Kelly added. “It really is startling that you see now thousands of messages on the Internet supporting the shooter.”
Ultimately, Kelly said, it’s “just a matter of time and I think fairly soon” that the suspect will be caught.
The New York City Police Department returned Monday to Central Park in Manhattan to search for evidence surrounding the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Video captured officers and K-9 dogs combing a portion of the massive park.
A gray backpack linked to the suspect was discovered in Central Park on Friday.
Police sources told Fox News on Sunday that the backpack contained a jacket and Monopoly money.
Sources said the gun used in the murder was not in the bag, prompting dive teams to check the water around Central Park.
Fox News’ Andrea Margolis and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.
Commuters wait for buses at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York, Friday, Dec. 6, where the gunman fleeing Wednesday’s shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a taxi to, according to surveillance video. (AP/Richard Drew)
The search for the suspect wanted for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson expanded to Greyhound bus stations between Atlanta and New York City, a report said.
Police sources told CBS News that investigators are trying to figure out where the suspected shooter got onto a bus that took him into New York City during the leadup to Brian Thompson’s killing.
The sources added that investigators from the NYPD and U.S. Marshals Service were sent to Atlanta and to Greyhound bus stops along the route from there to New York City.
“We are fully cooperating with authorities on this active investigation. As it is ongoing, we cannot provide further comment at this time,” a Greyhound spokesperson told Fox News Digital last week.
Fox News’ Brie Stimson and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.
Former FBI agent Rob D’Amico told “Fox & Friends First” on Monday that he found it “surprising” that nobody has come forward yet to identify the suspect believed to have killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“I do find it surprising. They may have done that already to the police and the police don’t want to come out and say that they actually have that name because it can harm the investigation. It may have happened, but normally when it does you get some media leakage that it actually has, so I am surprised,” D’Amico said.
“But his immediate family members – if it is a crime of passion and he did this based on a loved one dying for a lack of healthcare or denied healthcare – they may be more understanding of his plight but I do think it’s eventually going to come out that we find out who this is. I think that is going to happen shortly,” he added.
Law enforcement has released numerous images of the suspect, who remains on the run Monday following the killing last week in New York City.
“He had this well planned out after and he may have gone to ground. I think he got out of the immediate area,” D’Amico also said. “I think if he has everything well-planned, he knew police would figure out who he was, that they would start asking the public and if he has gone to ground he’s not getting out in public, I think it’s really going to start prolonging the manhunt for him.”
A New York City Police officer walks through brush and foliage in Central Park during a search for evidence in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP/Ted Shaffrey)
Gun-detecting police dogs are involved in the search for the weapon used in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a report said.
A senior law enforcement official told NBC News that the dogs were deployed Sunday to Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan.
The area is close to a bus terminal near the George Washington Bridge where the suspect was last seen around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, according to the Associated Press.
The official also told NBC News that subway stations near the George Washington Bridge were searched as well – but to date, the weapon has not been recovered.
Firearms expert David Katz, a former DEA firearms instructor who is now the CEO of Global Security Inc., said to Fox News Digital that the suspect may have been using a rare pistol.
Katz said he believes the weapon may have been a bolt action pistol, a “modernized version of a World War II pistol.”
Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
