How Police Closed in on Man Suspected of Shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Five days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down on the sidewalk in front of the New York Hilton Midtown hotel, police announced that they had a suspect in custody — Luigi Nicholas Mangione, 26, of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pa., after a McDonald's employee notified police, authorities said.

He was found in possession of a firearm similar to that used to shoot Thompson, as well as a fake N.J. ID used to check into a hostel where the shooter allegedly stayed, and a manifesto critical of the health insurance industry, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed at a press conference on Monday, Dec. 9.

Mangione was arrested on firearms charges, Tisch said.

"The suspect was in a McDonald's and was recognized by an employee who then called local police," Tisch said. "Responding officers questioned the suspect who was acting suspiciously and was carrying multiple fraudulent IDs as well as a U.S. passport."

NYPD detectives "are en route to Pennsylvania ... as we seek to interview the subject," she said.

Related: Suspect ID'd in Fatal Shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Shortly after the shooting, NYPD released photos of the suspect captured on video in a Manhattan Starbucks and then at a hostel on 103rd St. and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, where the suspect is believed to have stayed during his visit to New York City.

Those images came after NYPD investigators "combed through thousands of hours of video, followed up on hundreds of tips, and processed every bit of forensic evidence, DNA fingerprints, IP addresses, and so much more to tighten the net," said Tisch.

The NYPD deployed drones, canine units and scuba divers to search for any clue as to the identity of the suspect, she said.

Detectives also went door to door interviewing potential witnesses "and doing the good old-fashioned police work that our investigators are famous for," Tisch added.

"This combination of old school detective work and new age technology is what led to this result today."

She also acknowledged the role the media and the public played in helping apprehend Mangione.

"The images that we shared with the public were spread far and wide, and the tips we received led to the recovery of crucial evidence," she said. "We should never underestimate the power of the public to be our eyes and our ears in these investigations."

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the initial photo police released of the person of interest was obtained by the NYPD during one of its extensive video canvases.

"We took that photograph and we asked for the public's help in identifying the subject and the public responded," he said.

"Luckily, a citizen in Pennsylvania recognized our subject and called local law enforcement," said Kenny.

This investigation is still active and ongoing, say police.

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