New York police said the man was spotted at a McDonald's near the town of Altoona.

He had a firearm with a silencer and a fraudulent identification matching the one used by the suspect to check into a New York hostel.

Well, for more, let's cross over to DW reporter Laura Kabelka, who's following this story for us from our Washington bureau.

Laura, good to see you.

What do we know about the suspect who's been detained and of any specific motive for the killing at this point?

So far, what we know from what we heard from police is that a 26-year-old suspect was born and raised in Maryland, so a state not very far from here, from the capital.

The connection to Pennsylvania, which is where he was detained, is that he studied engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.

And so when he was detained, he had on him a handwritten manifesto that criticizes the way that health care companies put profit above care for the people.

So that is quite a clue as of why the CEO of one of the biggest players in this industry was murdered last week.

In a country, it has to be said, that is synonymous with gun violence, Laura, this case is attracting a lot of attention in the US.

Why is that, do you think?

Indeed, both online and also offline, a lot of people seem intrigued and very much into this case because it sparked a larger debate about the way that the US health care system works or doesn't work.

And it's also shed light on the huge role that these insurance companies play and some of the strategies that they use to avoid paying claims.

So there's a lot of frustration and, in fact, a lot of people seem to support the things that the suspect has done, or at least it seems so online, where people are more honest or more brutal.

A lot of people have said things or are trying to shed light on the fact that, look, there's so many lives lost because of these insurance companies and the roles that they play.

Why are we not talking about that?

Because you have to imagine here in the US, a lot of people don't have health insurance at all.

And even if they do, it doesn't mean it's particularly good because even people who have health insurance might end up paying huge amounts of money or they might not get the medical procedures that they need because these health insurance companies might not authorize the procedures even if doctors recommend them.

So we also tried talking to people here in DC and see their reactions after this murder case.

Deny, depose and defend.

Three words written on the bullets that killed Brian Thompson, the CEO of one of the largest health insurance companies in the US.

These words have been used by critics to describe how the health insurance industry avoids paying claims.

Many were quick to connect the CEO's murder with the excesses of his industry, although the investigation is still ongoing.

But beyond the Internet, the murder has sparked a greater debate about the failures of the US health care system.

The actual incident in New York served as a trigger for a lot of people to express their frustrations and real grievances about how the system works or really how it doesn't work.

I think this is just going to aggravate more the market on trying to people solve issues with their own hands for not only for health care, but for race, for sexism and everything else.

It's obviously sad when anyone passes away, but I think the reaction of the American public and how callous and that response has been should tell people something about the health care crisis in the United States.

Pretty shocking, but kind of a sign of the times, I suppose.

Tragic for him and his family, but maybe don't do terrible things, I guess.

I'm not saying he deserved it yet.

But what is it about the health care system exactly that makes people so angry?

You can face paying thousands and thousands of dollars out of your own pocket to use medical care, even if you have health insurance.

And then another type of limit is that health insurers in the United States often use what is called reauthorization.

The doctors and hospitals cannot simply provide the medical care that they want to.

They have to get permission from the insurers.

And sometimes the insurers deny that permission.

While the hunt for Thompson's killer goes on, the public reaction has highlighted that for many Americans, the world's most complex and expensive health care system simply isn't working.

We're still with Laura Kabelka in our Washington bureau.

A lot of strong reactions bundled into that report, Laura.

I wonder, could this case actually trigger any changes when it comes to health care in the US?

That's also one of the questions we asked the expert that we just saw on this piece, because there seems to be a lot of momentum right now.

A lot of people seem very fed up with this system.

But the expert we spoke to said he doesn't really think so, because actually we have talked about the flaws of the US health care system for over a century, and not a lot has changed.

There have been some changes.

There has been Obamacare, so the Affordable Care Act.

But he told us that there are a lot of structural issues in this country that would need to be tackled.

If you look at the US, which is a rich democracy, as is Germany, for instance, the US has a very different health care system.

It's very fragmented.

So there's a lot of these health insurance companies that play a big role.

But it also means that it's not very regulated.

There's a division of responsibility between the state and the federal level.

And so that means it's fragmented.

It's not very much regulated.

And that also affects that the cost is not controlled in a centralised way.

In Washington, DC, Laura Kobocher, thanks so much.