Authorities in Michigan are trying to understand why a company president was attacked by one of his employees during a meeting earlier this week. The incident occurred at Anderson Express Inc. in Fruitport Township.
The suspect, Nathan Mahoney, who is 32 years old, quickly left the scene but was apprehended shortly afterward. He now faces charges of assault with intent to murder, following the abrupt and violent attack on the company’s president.
According to police reports, Mahoney abruptly exited the meeting on Tuesday morning only to return a few minutes later. Without warning, he approached the company president and proceeded to stab him in the side, causing panic and confusion among those present.
The company president, identified as Eric Denslow on the company website, was in serious but stable condition after surgery.
Deputy Fruitport Township Police Chief Greg Poulson said investigators had not “ruled out copycat motive in regards to this,” apparently referring to the murder of a insurance giant UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York earlier this month. Luigi Mangione has been charged in the murder. He was found with a “manifesto” that indicated he targeted Thompson because of the practices of the company he led.
“I think that comes to everyone’s mind in this time,” he said. “We’re going through all his social accounts, all his electronic media and trying to determine a motive for this act.”
“It seems to be the popular thing in this day and age,” Poulson said, without providing any evidence.
No other known attempts on the lives of company leaders have been made since that time, although CEOs of some large companies have increased security in the wake of the murder. Also, a Florida woman was arrested after she used the words “delay, deny, depose” during a phone call with her health insurer, who had reportedly denied a claim for her. Mangione reportedly wrote similar words on bullets he used to kill Thompson.
