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Last week, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead by a masked assailant in an apparent targeted attack in New York City, and the incident has sparked massive public discussion about the perceived greed of healthcare companies in America.

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This week, police arrested 26-year-old Luigi Mangione as a suspect in the murder at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. According to authorities, Mangione was found with a gun, fake IDs and a handwritten document that indicated a “dislike for the American economy.” He has since been charged with second-degree murder.

He’s fucking hot, you have to admit that

– Hunter Harris (@hunteryharris) December 9, 2024 “>Given many people’s difficult experiences with the U.S. healthcare industry, there was significant support for Mangione online. And because it’s the Internet and Mangione is conventionally attractive… there was a lot of public lust surrounding him.

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When conservative host Laura Ingraham discussed this phenomenon on Fox News, she criticized “crazy people” who supported the shooter, called Mangione “cute” and referred to it as a “disease.”

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That seems to be standard Fox News fare — but the clip is going mega-viral for a different reason. Immediately after Ingraham’s words, she segues into the other top story of the evening – Daniel Penny’s “not guilty” verdict.

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Former Marine Daniel Penny was on trial for the 2023 death of subway actor Jordan Neely, who died after Penny held him in a chokehold for nearly six minutes on a New York subway. According to NBC, Neely got on the train, threw his jacket on the ground and then said he was hungry and thirsty and wanted to go back to prison. Some passengers reported that they were afraid even though Neely was unarmed, and other passengers said he did not approach anyone at all, although one passenger said he made “lunging movements.” Penny claimed that Neely threatened to kill people and that he tried to “de-escalate” the situation and hold Neely until police could arrive.

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The trial was a microcosm of arguments about race and police brutality in America, as Jordan Neely is black and Penny is white. Yesterday’s “not guilty” verdict sparked further debate and anger over a system that criminalizes homelessness and mental health crises in the US but excuses murder and manslaughter when it comes from a white authority figure.

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Others, especially conservatives, celebrated the verdict – Ingraham returned from the break after speaking about Mangione and announced: “There is very good news tonight; I can report that all hope is not lost in New York.”

🎯 <-- Sense and awareness of irony
Laura fucks Ingraham –> 🧍♀️ https://t.co/xWtd5QXb9j

– fiendevious (@fiendevious) December 10, 2024 “>However, to many it seemed extremely ironic that Ingraham strongly supported Mangione while simultaneously suggesting that Penny was a hero.

“It is disgusting that anyone would celebrate the psychopath who killed a CEO. Anyway, after the break we’ll talk about the American hero who strangled a poor person with mental health issues and got away scot-free! :)”

— Josh Gill (@TheJoshGill) December 10, 2024 “People “translated” what Ingraham seemed to be saying and accused her of being hypocritical.

The juxtaposition of the subway murderer being celebrated as a hero and the CEO murderer being celebrated as a terrorist says it all. Poor people’s lives don’t matter, but rich people’s lives do?

– Saminmedellin (@samholdren) December 10, 2024 “>Another user pointed out the difference between the two cases, stating that Neely was poor, black, unhoused and suffering from a mental health crisis, while Brian Thompson was rich and white.

To be clear, if someone kills a healthcare CEO who oversees decisions that are actively causing the suffering of millions and possibly the death of thousands, that’s bad, but if some random guy decides to kill a homeless man in a subway in broad daylight, Murder train just because it’s okay?

– James Ray 🔻 (@GoodVibePolitics) December 9, 2024 “>Some people felt that the main difference between the two was that Thompson, as CEO of a healthcare company, was probably partly responsible for the suffering of millions…”

The difference between Daniel Penny and Luigi Mangione is that Daniel Penny killed an innocent person https://t.co/P6oqO6alDQ

– Evan loves Worf (@esjesjesj) December 10, 2024 “>…while Jordan Neely hasn’t done any damage yet.

I would argue that Daniel Penny poses a greater threat to society than Luigi Mangione pic.twitter.com/dv8DbTNuTI

— John Ryan E (@RyanElward) December 9, 2024 “>One person even suggested that they believed Penny was far more likely to commit further violence than Mangione.

I would feel absolutely safer around Luigi Mangione than I would around Kyle Rittenhouse or Daniel Penny

– Evan loves Worf (@esjesjesj) December 10, 2024 “Others cited the comparison with another acquitted murderer – Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot three people in “self-defense” during the 2020 Kenosha riots (two of whom died) and was later found “not guilty” of murder.

It’s funny how people call this Luigi a hero but Daniel Penny a criminal. One killed someone in cold blood, the other protected people on the subway. This generation is so messed up

– Ant Capelli (@Ant_Capelli09) December 10, 2024 “>However, there were many who agreed with the assessment of Penny as a “heroine.”

Extremely unpopular opinion

Luigi Mangione and Daniel Penny are heroes pic.twitter.com/lP64TGAF4K

– modern flapper 🇺🇸💞 (@modern_flapper) December 9, 2024 “>Others still called both “heroes.”

Mangione’s trial is sure to spark further debate on these issues.