TikTok is overrun with conspiracy theories and doubt regarding Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week.
Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania on Monday following a five-day manhunt. Law enforcement claim the suspect was in possession of a 3D-printed firearm and silencer, as well as a fake ID and handwritten manifesto.
But many TikTokers argue that Mangione does not match the description of the masked man captured by surveillance cameras in New York.
One video casting doubt on Mangione’s culpability has even racked up over 1.1. million views, inundated with comments supporting the assertion.
“Whoever snitched gave yall the wrong guy,” the TikToker wrote.
@b.espinal Whoever snitched gave yall the wrong guy 😭#ceo #unitedhealthcare #luigimangione #breakingnews #nypd #update #suspect #investigation #greenscreen #nyc #pennsylvania #news #fyp ♬ original sound – Bee 🐝
Other TikTokers feel Mangione’s purported decision to stop for fast food while being tracked by the U.S. government, especially while in possession of such incriminating items, runs counter to the careful planning that went into the shooting.
@readchoi Thats not even him even if it is #skit #sketch #meme #memes #relatable ♬ original sound – Read Choi
One TikTok user who racked up nearly 922,00 views outright suggested that Mangione had been framed.
“Yea, because if I had shot and killed a CEO and successfully got away with it, I would totally walk into a McDonald’s five days later with no face covering or disguise, carrying a backpack with both the murder weapon and a three-page manifesto describing my motives, and I would totally order my food for there and not to go, and I would sit down and eat it until the cops came,” @theprincessandthepoppers said.
“Girl, allow me to put on my little tinfoil hat for a second,” they continued. “I think it’s a plant because the government and the police don’t want us to believe that we can get away with doing things like that, and the more time that goes by without this guy in custody, the worse it looks on them.”
@theprincessandthepoppers My conspiracy theory #conspirancytheory ♬ original sound – ThePrincessAndThePoppers
Another popular creator said that, while she didn’t want to doubt the cops, if this were the script of a movie, she wouldn’t buy it.
“Really dumb and not believable,” they wrote.
@jstoobs #luigimangione ♬ original sound – stoobs
In reality, nothing is known about what Mangione’s plans were following the shooting. Assuming he is responsible, Mangione could have very well wanted to be caught.
And even if that wasn’t his plan, the chances of permanently outrunning the U.S. government are almost non-existent.
The explosion of doubt and conspiracy theories is unsurprising given the current political climate and the proliferation of misinformation on social media. Many of the early assumptions made, such as the type of weapon used in the shooting, have already been proven false. Only time will tell why Mangione, supposedly, made the decisions he did.
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