By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-15 23:46:15 | Updated at 2024-12-16 02:01:40
2 hours ago
New York City's new Harvard-educated police commissioner Jessica Tisch was forced to make a crucial decision less than two weeks into the job, as cops searched for the man who shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Police officers worked around the clock in the immediate aftermath of the December 4 shooting in midtown Manhattan, combing through any and every video camera in the area, according to the Wall Street Journal.
They also obtained footage through the NYPD's Domain Awareness System - which Tisch previously implemented at the department to give cops real-time access to police cameras, license plate readers and private security cameras around the city.
That footage helped build a timeline of suspected assassin Luigi Mangione's movements before and after the shooting.
Police said he checked into a hostel on November 24 after arriving at Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal on a bus from Atlanta and fled the scene by riding a bicycle through Central Park and escaping through the Port Authority.
The goldmine finally came when Mangione, 26, briefly took off his mask at a Manhattan hostel to flirt with someone.
At that point, Tisch, 43, then had to decide whether to risk releasing the image to the public and risk tipping Mangione off that the cops were zeroing in on him.
But as concern grew that he fled New York City, Tisch and Police Chief Joseph Kenny decided to publish the surveillance picture in hopes someone may recognize him.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch was forced to make a crucial decision less than two weeks into the job as cops searched for the gunman who shot dead UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Luigi Mangione, 26, is now facing second-degree homicide charges in the case
'We had reason to believe he had left New York City and I wanted to get that photo out to a national audience,' said Tisch, whose family controls the Loews Corp.
The efforts proved successful when staff members and patrons at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania recognized Mangione as the suspect in the photo last Monday.
He was then taken into custody on firearm charges in the state, with police saying he had a 3D-printed pistol and black silencer loaded with one Glock magazine comprising six 9mm full-metal jacket rounds.
New York police officers were later able to match that ammunition with the ones from Thompson's death - when Mangione allegedly labeled 'depose,' 'deny' and 'defend.'
Mangione also reportedly had a manifesto outlining his grievances against UnitedHealthcare.
'To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn't working with anyone. This was fairly trivial: some elementary social engineering, basic CAD, [and] a lot of patience,' he allegedly wrote in the manifesto, according to the Daily Beast.
He went on to say he had 'respect' for federal investigators, and apologized for causing any 'traumas,' but seemed to defend his alleged actions.
'Frankly these parasites had it coming,' the manifesto wrote.
Officers worked around the clock in the immediate aftermath of the December 4 shooting in midtown Manhattan, combing through any and every video camera in the area
The goldmine came when Mangione briefly took off his mask at a Manhattan hostel to flirt
It also reportedly claimed that the United States had the 'most expensive healthcare system in the world,' but blasted the system for making America only the 42nd in life expectancy.
Police now say they have 'no indication' to suggest Mangione was ever a client of the insurance company.
Chief Kelly, though, noted to NBC New York that the manifesto 'does make mention that it is the fifth largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest healthcare organization in America.
'So that's possibly why he targeted the company,' Kelly suggested.
Mangione is now facing second-degree murder charges in New York, and is fighting extradition to the Big Apple.
It is believed he targeted Thompson (pictured) because UnitedHealthcare is the largest insurer in the United States
He has also hired Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former assistant district attorney who helped prosecute the Harvey Weinstein case in New York.
She is considered a veteran of the New York state court system, with one source telling CNN Friedman Agnifilo 'knows every corridor, every judge, every clerk in the courthouse.'
'She's got as much experience as any human being, especially in the state court.'
Meanwhile, New York officials are hoping to get him back with what is called a governor's warrant.
It is a warrant signed by the governor of a state where a fugitive flees after a crime. The governor in that state acts upon an official request from the governor of the state where the crime occurred.
In this case, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to seek a governor's warrant from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, but the process could take more than a month.
