As the manhunt for United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s cold-blooded killer widens, a political personality who was identified as matching the suspect’s description is crying foul.
In a post on X, a photo of Joey Mannarino was featured alongside a surveillance image of the suspect below the caption: ‘Possible match for the United Healthcare CEO assassin identified! Do you recognize this person?!’
The post had garnered more than 3 million views as of Friday afternoon.
Mannarino, a vocal supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, quickly blasted the post for potentially putting him in danger.
‘How is this allowed?’ he wrote while sharing the original post.
‘This can get me killed.’
Supporters of Mannarino rushed to decry the original post, whose author defended it as ‘pure satire.’
‘He thinks just because his account is satire he can do whatever he wants. This is in poor taste and could potentially be dangerous for you,’ one concerned user wrote.
A X user who goes by @PawlowskiMario took to the social media page to share a smiling image of the masked assailant and a picture of Joey Mannarino
Another added: ‘It should not be allowed. That is disgusting! You don’t even look like that guy.’
‘This is insane and I would definitely think you have the grounds to sue,’ another suggested.
Others, however, took Mannarino to task.
‘Maybe you should rethink what you post yourself,’ one wrote.
The account that posted the photos is described as ‘Brutal sarcasm, satire, relentless insights.’
The post remained pinned to the top of the account’s profile as of Friday afternoon.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside the New York Hilton Midtown Manhattan in the early hours of Wednesday by a masked assailant, who approached from behind and calmly shot him several times before fleeing the scene.
The assassin still remains at large despite carrying out the ‘brazen’ attack in the middle of one of the busiest and most heavily surveilled cities in the world.
The vocal President-elect Donald Trump supporter quickly hit back
Supporters of Mannarino rushed to decry the original post, whose author defended it as ‘pure satire.’ Pictured: Mannarino with President-elect Donald Trump
The search for killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has entered its third day, scattering inquiries across the country
Although the picture that has emerged since is one of a meticulously pre-planned attack, the suspect did leave some clues which many hoped could lead to an arrest.
As of Friday, all police appear to have recovered is a partial fingerprint, a burner phone and a fake ID despite a cash reward and frenzied media coverage that has seen the suspect’s pictures blasted across the planet.
As the investigation looks toward Thompson’s inner circle in Minnesota, hundreds of tips are pouring in from across the country that police are duty-bound to follow up, the New York Times reports.
There have already been several false starts in the investigation. Police initially said the suspect was thought to have fled on a CitiBike towards Central Park.
Many remarked upon how easy it would be to scrape the data from the paid-for bikes, which require a membership or payment cards to use.
However this theory has since been jettisoned, with police stating they believe the getaway vehicle was another kind of e-bike that wasn’t registered.
A major hole in the investigation is the absence of the murder weapon. Detectives have speculated that the killer used a rare World War Two gun in the shooting based on video surveillance taken at the scene.
Joey Mannarino with Vivek Ramaswamy
They are now examining a firearm purchase in Connecticut which would match the suspected gun, the New York Post reported.
In New York, the search for the killer led cops to two hostels on the Upper West Side.
Police visited KAMA Central Park and nearby Fredrick Douglas, but quickly ascertained that they had the wrong location.
It has since been ascertained that the assassin stayed at the HI New York City Hostel, first checking in at the end of last month.
Surveillance footage from the premises yielded the first clearer images of the suspect’s face, however he was cautious enough not to fully remove his hood.
Officials said he checked into the hostel using a fake New Jersey ID. Background checks quickly revealed that the images of the shooter did not correspond with the ID.
Officials said he checked into the hostel using a fake New Jersey ID.
Background checks quickly revealed that the images of the shooter did not correspond with the ID.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch is overseeing the investigation into the ‘brazen’ attack which has so far seen the killer elude capture
Brian Thompson, 50, was shot to death as he was on his way to a conference at a New York Hilton on Wednesday morning
The NYPD has released several sets of images of the gunman, including shots of him standing by a counter with his face mostly obscured by a balaclava
Police are said to be probing the sale of a firearm in Connecticut amid speculation the weapon used was a rare World War Two gun
Police said Thursday they found a water bottle and protein bar wrapper from a trash can near the scene of the ambush and think the suspect bought them from a Starbucks minutes before the shooting.
The items are currently with the city’s medical examiner for testing. Investigators are also still working to crack into a burner phone found at the crime scene.
The suspect has so far been careful to keep his transactions to cash-only, making it harder for cops to trace his movements.
While calculated, there are moments which have marked him out as an amateur, rather than a professional hitman, according to experts.
These include being caught on surveillance footage a nearby Starbucks in the moments before the shooting.
The grainy images were released by the cops along with the promise of a $10,000 reward for anyone with information which could lead to his arrest.
At the time of the killing, Thompson and his estranged wife Paulette had been living in separate homes that are less than a mile apart in suburban Maple Grove, Minnesota.
His wife Paulette, a practicing physical therapist, disclosed that her husband had previously received threats. She referenced a ‘lack of coverage.’
