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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) condemned the “deeply disturbing” reactions to the fatal shooting from UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week.
“Some of the attention on this case, especially online, has been deeply disturbing, as some have looked to celebrate rather than condemn this killer,” Shapiro said. during a press conference Monday, referring to some reports on the internet that show a “lack of sympathy”.
“In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me out on this: He is no hero,” the governor added.
Shapiro’s comments come as the suspect, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was arrested on Monday activated local charges in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was recognized at a McDonald’s as the suspect in a surveillance photo.
Prosecutors filed a murder charge against Mangione after law enforcement found a gun, a mask and writings that apparently linked him to the shooting, he said. The Associated Press.
Thompson was fatally shot last week in New York City outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where UnitedHealth Group was holding its annual investor conference. The police said the CEO was the target.
“In America, we don’t kill people in cold blood to settle political differences or express a point of view,” Shapiro said earlier Monday. “I understand that people have real frustration with our health care system, and I’ve worked to address that throughout my career.”
“But I have no tolerance, nor should anyone, for a man to use an illegal ghost gun to murder someone because he thinks his opinion is more important,” he continued. “In a civil society, we are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice.”
The Pennsylvania governor also thanked law enforcement and praised the Keystone State resident and McDonald’s employee where Mangione was arrested for speaking out, calling him a “hero.”
