UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting raises questions about how to stop copycats

As investigators continue to determine the motivations and mindset that allegedly led Luigi Mangione to fatally shoot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York nearly two weeks ago, some criminologists worry about the impacts in the long term that a public assassination could cause.

“This is a unique event,” Timothy Clancy, an assistant research fellow at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland, told ABC News. “It brings together a lot of things: the targeting of a singular individual; the combined anger and grievances that people have toward the health care industry; the sensationalism of the manhunt.”

This combination of factors, along with continued coverage of the investigation and the suspect, could contribute to others resorting to violence over similar grievances, Clancy and other criminology experts told ABC News. Although experts believe such potential radicalization is a rare phenomenon in shoots involving single actors, they also noted that there are proven strategies to prevent so-called copycats and to address the concerns of those considering such actions.

“We can’t use the police to fight grievances. You have to do it the right way to mitigate the violence,” Clancy said.

Concerns about a lone actor whose actions may resonate with others

Mangione, 26, was billed Thursday in Manhattan federal court on four federal charges, including stalking, a firearm offense involving a silencer and murder by use of a firearm, a charge that makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted found guilty.

Mangione has not yet entered a plea and was held in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York until his next court appearance, scheduled for January. He also faces charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested, including for allegedly possessing an untraceable phantom gun.

Mangione’s New York attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said her client was prepared to appear in state court and that the federal charges were unexpectedly filed first.

“This is a very unusual situation that we find ourselves in,” Agnifilo said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Based on what investigators say they know of Mangione’s alleged actions and motivations, he was a “lone wolf” similar to other shooting suspects who were not linked to domestic terrorist groups or other groups organized, according to Donald Mihalek, a former ABC News contributor and former senior official. United States Secret Service official.

Mangione was smart – a high school valedictorian who earned a master’s degree from the Ivy League. However, investigators say he appeared to have deep-seated anger, according to Mihalek.

“They will take on the identity of a warrior,” Clancy said of the mindset of some lone actors. “They say, ‘I’m going to do what society wants to do and what state actors can’t do.'”

That mentality is far more dangerous in the wake of Thompson’s killing, Clancy and other experts ABC News spoke with warned.

John Cohen, ABC News contributor and former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, said one of the biggest red flags in his assessment was what authorities described as the suspect’s alleged removal of the company in the months preceding the incident.

Mangione’s family and friends said they lost contact with him earlier in the year, according to authorities. Her mother filed a missing person report in November with San Francisco police, seeking information about her son’s whereabouts, two police sources told ABC News.

“We often hear that they’re not on the radar screen,” Cohen said of suspects involved in similar shootings. “The problem is they’re on the radar screens – law enforcement and the public are looking at the wrong radar screen.”

Fuel for shared anger

Thompson’s shooting stands out from other high-profile killings, Clancy said, in that only one person is believed to have been targeted because of the shooter’s alleged anger toward an industry that authorities said the victim symbolized to Mangione.

Public fascination with Mangione grew. A defense fund created in his name collection more than $100,000 in donations in the days following his arrest, and counting.

Cohen said law enforcement was already on high alert before Thompson’s killing due to growing violent rhetoric online on a wide variety of topics such as politics, men’s rights, race and income inequality.

“We have a growing number of people who believe that violence is the only way to express their beliefs,” Cohen told ABC News. “The reaction is not unexpected. A growing number of people in our society distrust government, businesses and other institutions. They believe they are victims of inappropriate behavior.”

Cohen said it’s not out of the question that other isolated individuals might want to repeat Thompson’s murder and then feel validated by those who share their beliefs – a scenario that poses one of the biggest challenges facing law enforcement.

“Law enforcement is pretty good at detecting and stopping threats from groups, whether it’s a terrorist group or an extremist domestic violence group. What’s more difficult is that an individual with underlying issues related to an underlying cause independently makes the decision to pursue an attack,” he said.

Mihalek said the problem is made worse by online discourse, which can add even more vitriol to people’s frustrations.

“The dark corners of the Internet have become a tool for people who have negative mindsets that support their negative mindset,” he said. “The Internet can support or encourage people, because of the information that is disseminated there – often false information.”

Clancy added that the positive attention paid to Mangione’s physical appearance, the media coverage during the manhunt and during his arrest, as well as his outburst during an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania last week will only fuel online fascination with the suspect.

“It’s hyper-social media. It’s instantaneous, within hours and minutes,” he said.

“The current challenge for law enforcement is that the use of violence to express ideological views or feelings of disagreement is increasingly entrenched in our society,” Cohen said.

Recontextualize a sensational story

Experts ABC News spoke with said it’s possible to address the issue of potential copycats before others take direct inspiration from Thompson’s killing. The first step, Mihalek said, is for prosecutors and law enforcement to emphasize that murders and shootings are immoral and harmful to society.

Although some may believe that Thompson’s murder was justified because they believe they were harmed by the health insurance industry, the reality is that one person was murdered and others could have been harmed or killed during the process, according to Mihalek.

“It’s hard to fight because of fame. The only way is to point out the facts and keep your eye on the ball,” Mihalek said. “He allegedly committed a cold-blooded murder in Manhattan in broad daylight.”

Elected officials, law enforcement and other leaders publicly condemned Thompson’s killing and insisted that thorough prosecutions be brought against his alleged shooter.

Clancy said Mangione’s trial, particularly if it is lengthy, could create a repeated cycle of glorification for as long as the trial continues. He also noted that prosecutors who have won convictions against school shooters and others in the past have often successfully removed a suspect’s appeal during their trials.

“Awareness of chess is something we can increase,” he said.

Address underlying anger

Overall, growing anger expressed in society against corporations, particularly the health care sector, needs to be addressed, experts told ABC News.

Mihalek said law enforcement and the general public will need to keep an eye out for anyone who appears distressed and shares angry rhetoric against health care companies and CEOs, and take action if they encounter them.

“Relevant behaviors should not be ignored: they should be reported and addressed. If someone says something, don’t be afraid to be the one to raise the flag about it,” he said.

Clancy reiterated that the grievances felt by many toward the health care industry, or capitalism in general, are rooted in legitimate concerns expressed by a large majority of people. He stressed that sincere and open communication between the public and those in power, including an emphasis on non-violent responses, was the first step in lowering the temperature.

“If you can find a solution, you can dissuade people from the beginning by saying, ‘Hey, you know, you’re right, corporations are greedy and they’re too powerful. “We should do something, here’s what we can do. Then you can come up with long-term solutions,” he said.