The moment UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot on the streets of New York City and the shooter was nowhere to be found, the clock started ticking. The classic manhunt was underway. The reality is that there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to hunting your fellow man. The technology changes and largely favors the hunters, but the concept is still the same. 

There was a 12 day hunt for John Wilkes Booth after he killed Abraham Lincoln. Bonnie and Clyde evaded law enforcement for years.  It took five days to track down Luigi Mangione after the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. This one didn't end in a hail of bullets and for that reason both Mangione and law enforcement were extremely lucky. 

The Deadly Concept of Hunting a Person of Interest

Though the term is most often written as one word, for the purpose of this article we are going to break it down into the two words man and hunt. That's because we want to emphasize that if such an event took place, you are hunting your fellow man. You may pray for a peaceful ending, but so does the deer, moose, or rabbit in the deadly game that is a hunt. 

The person of interest in the Manhattan shooting had already killed an individual in cold blood. Surveillance cameras recorded the incident with deadly clarity. When New York Police began the hunt in midtown Manhattan, they had to know that this was a deadly affair. 

They found evidence in Central Park and a backpack which police said was tied to the attack. The NYPD expanded the search throughout the city. However, at the end of the day, it was a McDonald's worker in Pennsylvania who gave information leading to an arrest.

That's what you need to understand about a hunt for your fellow human in the year 2024. Technology favors the hunter. Security cameras are everywhere and social media will have your picture in front of the masses before you have time to get your pants on in the morning. 

Source: World_News

Historical Context of Man Hunts

Granted, it didn't always use be this way. Outlaws in the Wild West could be on the run for years and decades as there simply wasn't the forensic technology to tie them to a specific crime. The outlaw Jesse James was on the run for years before he was killed by one of his own. There are still rumors as to whether Billy the Kid was actually killed by Pat Garret. 

It used to be the case that one could run from the law and actually get away with it. In modernity, we have less examples of that for such high-profile crimes. A wealthy CEO is assassinated outside a hotel on the upper west side and the entire world knows about it within an hour. 

The New York Police Department told reporters that there was no larger threat to the public. The only reason they knew that was because the amount of digital evidence indicating this was a targeted assassination attempt was overwhelming. Technology is trending in the direction of the hunter and against that of the man. 

NYPD Timeline of Luigi Mangione and Brian Thompson

Here is what we know so far regarding the shooting:

November 24th - Mangione arrives in New York via a Greyhound Bus.

November 29th - Mangione checks in and out of a hostel where police believed him to be staying the entire time. 

December 4th - At 5:30am, he leaves the hostel. At 6:44, Mangione shoots Thompson in the back. By 6:48am, he enters Central Park by bicycle. At 7:30am, he enters the port authority bus terminal and as he leaves New York, the manhunt is officially underway. 

December 8th - NYPD divers are seen searching a Central Park pond. 

December 9th - Police in Altoona, PA receive a tip from a McDonalds employee that a man resembling the suspect is present. Luigi Nicholas Mangione is then taken into custody. 

Source: RollingStone

Practical Insights and Applications for MIRA Safety’s Audience

So what does this mean for the audience at MIRA Safety and those who are preparing for the day that most people dread. Given that our audience is hopefully comprised of more law enforcement officials than CEO shooters, we're going to orient the article towards those conducting the search. 

We already know about the rise of civil strife in the United States and what the CEO shooting revealed is that there is a sizable portion of citizens who applaud the shooting. Sadly, for some, one man using an illegal ghost gun who had a beef with UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson has become an icon. 

The team here at MIRA Safety believes that such incidents will become more common in the years to come and not less. The mere fact that this man is being hailed as a hero is enough to let us know that danger abounds in the years to come. So, let's talk about how to get ready for the emerging threat that hunting your fellow human will become more common and perhaps be a remnant of days in the Wild West. 

MIRA SAFETY

Innovations in Technology and Equipment for Man Hunts

One of the most dangerous jobs in law enforcement is serving a warrant for arrest. That's because when it has reached that stage the target has already made up their mind that they are not going to jail. Gunplay, explosives, or chemical agents are deployed against those serving the warrant. 

When a nationwide search is underway the stakes are raised. It is a high profile crime and if the individual goes through that much trouble not to get caught, they likely have made the decision that they too are not going to jail. Law enforcement have to come to the table ready for a fight. 

Top notch body armor would be the first line of defense and law enforcement around the world find our Level 4 Body Armor to be up to the task. Sadly, hard armor is not standard issue for all law enforcement and many officers are required to purchase their own if they choose to wear it. Ours is tested, certified and most importantly for those officers, affordable. 

Ethical and Legal Considerations in Man Hunts

While we certainly applaud law enforcement for using all resources available to find anyone who would kill people in cold blood, we'd be remiss if we didn't take just a moment to talk about privacy and ethics. Mangione was caught in part due to the fact that security cameras are almost everywhere nowadays. 

When police are looking for a person, they can turn to any number of private and public cameras for a lead. For those of us not looking to murder someone because he thinks the insurance industry is crooked, that means our faces are on camera as well. 

We believe in the right to privacy and police sources can't simply take that away because someone does something bad. It shouldn't be the case that you have to walk around in our full HAZMAT suit if you want a little privacy. We're happy the man was caught, but more needs to be done to ensure privacy along the way. 

Source: MIRA Safety

Man Hunts When a Bus Station or Central Park are No More 

Finally, let's talk about the man hunt when the SHTF and all the perks of modern technology are no more. When an EMP blasts the city, there won't be bus station surveillance cameras and in NYC, Central Park is sure to look like a scene from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Hunting your fellow human in this environment will be a throwback to the days U.S. Marshals hunted down Jesse James or Bonnie and Clyde. It will require good old fashioned tracking and if you are the one being tracked, the good news for you is that this is a lost art. 

This also means that lawless and ruthless individuals are sure to abound. You won't be able to rely on the fact that in a few days, police can track down any who would murder in cold blood to resolve policy differences. You are going to have to defend yourself. 

Until that time, technology is going to rule the classic man hunt. Cell phones can be traced to specific towers, security cameras are on every building and even the average Joe now has a ring door camera or dash camera. Your online digital footprint is large and it will be used to track you down so long as the technology exists. This is the modern man hunt. 

Prayers for the Thompson Family and the Mangione Family

Oftentimes at MIRA, we use current events to highlight matters of prepping and safety. That doesn't mean we are callous to the human cost here. We certainly offer prayers to the family of Brian Thompson. Though Luigi deserves his due justice, we offer prayers for the Mangione family and pray for all involved. 

By all accounts, the family was a standup family whose son developed the manifest of a lunatic. It is likely that the family is shocked and devastated. What Luigi should have known is that it is almost impossible to escape a nationwide manhunt in the era of modern technology. 

As for the rest of the MIRA Safety audience, we pray that you will keep preparing for the day most people dread. Prepare for when technology is no more and if you want a man found, you will have to hunt him yourself. There won't be any Chief of Detectives coming to save the day. Prepare, train, and prepare some more.