Despite Silence, Questions Continued in Thompson Shooting Case: NPR Report
Following the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Paul Thompson in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, authorities focused on a suspect, 27-year-old michael Mangione, who was apprehended days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Wisconsin. A recent NPR report details the interactions between Mangione and Altoona police officers leading up to his arrest, highlighting a pattern of Mangione asserting his right to silence while officers continued to question him.
Five days after Thompson, 50, was shot while walking to an investor conference, police received a tip that an individual at the McDonald’s resembled the publicized suspect. Officers Tyler Frye and Joseph Detwiler initially approached Mangione discreetly, stating someone had found him “suspicious.” mangione presented a false New Jersey driver’s license under a fabricated name, according to prosecutors.
After a brief frisk, Officer Detwiler checked the license’s validity with dispatch, leaving Officer Frye to engage with Mangione. Frye inquired about the situation, asking, “What’s going on?” and what brought Mangione to Altoona.
Mangione responded, “I don’t know what you guys are up to. I’m just going to wait,” and further asked what the officers were investigating.
Frye pressed further, asking, “you don’t want to talk to me or anything?” Mangione shook his head in response, indicating he did not. though, he continued to answer other questions posed by the officers and also initiated some inquiries of his own.
“Can I ask why there’s so many cops here?” Mangione asked before being informed of his arrest on a forgery charge related to the false identification. at that point, roughly a dozen officers had gathered at the restaurant, and Mangione had been informed he was under inquiry, handcuffed, and read his miranda rights.
When asked if there was anything in his backpack police should be aware of, Mangione invoked his right to remain silent, stating, “I’m going to remain silent.”
A subsequent search of the backpack and Mangione’s pockets revealed items including a pocket knife – which Mangione voluntarily disclosed – and a to-do list. The list from the previous day included items like “digital cam,” “hot meal and water bottles,” and “trash bag(s).” Notably, the list for the day of his arrest included “survival kit.”
Prosecutors argue the evidence is crucial to their case, citing a 9 mm handgun found in the backpack matching the weapon used in Thompson’s murder. Thay also point to writings in a notebook expressing disdain for health insurers and outlining plans to target a CEO at an investor conference, as well as the use of the same alias Mangione used at a New York hostel days before the shooting.
Thompson had been CEO of UnitedHealthcare since 2021, having spent two decades with parent company UnitedHealth Group Inc.
The admissibility of the evidence is currently being debated, with federal prosecutors maintaining the backpack search was justified for safety reasons and Mangione’s statements were voluntary and made before his formal arrest. Manhattan prosecutors have yet to fully present their arguments regarding the disputed evidence.
