Less than a month after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, a president of a manufacturing company was stabbed by an employee in what police have called a “copycat” act.
A Michigan man is in police custody after allegedly stabbing the president of his company.
Nathan Mahoney, 32, has been charged with assault with intent to murder and fleeing and eluding a police officer, according to Fox 17, after allegedly stabbing the president—who officials told multiple outlets was Erik Denslow—during a Dec. 17 staff meeting.
Mahoney had been employed by a Fruitport Township, Michigan-based automotive manufacturing company for two weeks in an “accounting role” before he assaulted Denslow at around 9:20 a.m., in front of eight to 10 other staff members during the meeting, officials told Fox 17, with a “red-handled” knife.
Matt Roberts, a trial attorney for the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office, emphasized the number of witnesses in the room with Mahoney and Denslow, noting to Fox 17, “This is certainly by no means a case of ‘whodunnit.’”
Officials also told ABC 13 that Mahoney had “suddenly” got up and left the room amid the meeting, before returning around 10 minutes later when he stabbed Denslow in the side. Mahoney then fled the scene, before he was apprehended by Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office in Sullivan Township, a neighboring city.
Denslow underwent surgery Dec. 17 and is currently in “serious but stable condition,” authorities told ABC 13.
According to court documents obtained by Fox 17, Mahoney refused to talk to police, however, employees told Fruitport Township Police Department that “he was acting a little odd” prior to the Dec. 17 meeting.
Otherwise, Deputy Chief Gregory Poulson told ABC 13, “there were no reports from any of the employees of anything unusual, other than he had a quiet disposition.”
Mahoney is being held for a $500,000 cash/surety bond, meaning he’ll need to pay $50,000 up front to post bond, per ABC 13.
And while they have not concluded a motive, Poulson alluded to Mahoney’s act taking after the recent killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“We haven’t ruled out copycat motive in regards to this,” he told News 8. “I think that comes to everyone’s mind in this time. We’re going through all his social accounts, all his electronic media and trying to determine a motive for this act.”
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