UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting: Gun found on Luigi Mangione matches shell casings, NYPD says

Luigi Mangione
Luigi Mangione The suspect who allegedly killed the CEO of a major insurance group, UnitedHealthcare, last week in New York City is taken into custody on Monday by police in the US state of Pennsylvania, on December 10, 2024. Luigi Mangione who is 26 years-old, was recognized by an employee at a McDonald's in Altoona, about 300 miles (482 kilometers) west of Manhattan, where Brian Thompson's murder happened last Wednesday. The restaurant worker called local police who responded to question the suspect. (PA Department of Corrections / Handout/Anadolu/Getty Images)

A man is in police custody days after UnitedHeathcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York City. He was identified as Luigi Mangione.

Gun matches

Update 1:51 p.m. ET, Dec. 11: The gun found on Mangione when he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, matches the shell casings left at the scene of Thompson’s shooting, according to the NYPD commissioner, The Associated Press reported.

Commissioner Jessica Tisch also confirmed earlier reports that the lab results matched Mangione’s fingerprints to a water bottle and a protein bar wrapper left near the scene of the ambush.

Fingerprints match

Update 9:08 a.m. ET, Dec. 11: CNN reported that fingerprints found on items left at the scene of Thompson’s shooting match those of Mangione. It is the first forensic match between Mangione and the Dec. 4 killing, CNN reported.

Meanwhile, Mangione’s attorney, Thomas Dickey, denied that Mangione shot and killed the CEO, adding that they plan to enter a not guilty plea on the charges he faces in Pennsylvania. Those charges relate to the gun and fake ID that police said they found after being tipped off by people at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Dickey told CNN that he had not seen anything that proved that Mangione was the “right guy” for the Thompson murder.

He believes his client will also plead not guilty to the murder charge he is facing in New York, adding that it is “a possibility” that he will defend Mangione in that case also.

Police said they recovered a notebook that they said outlined the plans Mangione made for the shooting, The New York Times reported.

“What do you do? You wack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention. It’s targeted, precise, and doesn’t risk innocents,” police said was written in the notebook, the newspaper reported.

Mangione also allegedly referenced a back injury from July 2023 that caused him pain. Police are looking for insurance claims in relation to the injury, CNN reported.

“Some of the writings that he had, he was discussing the difficulty of sustaining that injury,” New York Police Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. “So, we’re looking into whether or not the insurance industry either denied a claim from him or didn’t help him out to the fullest extent.”

Dickey said he has also not seen the writings police said they found, CNN reported.

Fights extradition

Update 2:48 p.m. ET, Dec. 10: Mangione is fighting his extradition to New York, CNN reported. His bail was denied during the hearing on Tuesday. He will remain in the Huntingdon State Correctional Institution.

During the hearing, The Associated Press said he “mostly stared straight ahead at the hearing, occasionally consulting papers, rocking in his chair, or looking back at the gallery.” He wanted to respond to the court but his attorney kept him quiet.

The court gave him 14 days to file for a writ of habeas corpus and if he does, another hearing will be held.

Prosecutors must get a governor’s warrant from New York within 30 days to have him extradited, the AP reported.

Court arrival

Update 1:50 p.m. ET, Dec. 10: Mangione arrived at the Blair County Court House, yelling as he was being escorted into the building, CNN reported.

He is appearing in court for his arraignment on the charges filed in Pennsylvania.

As he walked in he referred to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people,” The Associated Press reported.

New mugshot

Update 1:46 p.m. ET, Dec. 10: The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections released a new mugshot of Mangione.

Luigi Mangione

Extradition hearing

Update 12:30 p.m. ET, Dec. 10: An extradition hearing is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at the Blair County Courthouse, The Associated Press reported.

New York criminal complaint

Update 11:51 a.m. ET, Dec. 10: Mangione faces five charges in New York — murder in the second degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, criminally possessing a forged instrument in the second degree and criminally possessing a weapon in the third degree, according to the criminal complaint published by The Washington Post.

The document is also the arrest warrant. He will be arraigned on the complaint once he returns to New York unless he is indicted prior. If the indictment comes down before he returns, the case will be sent directly to a New York State Supreme Court judge, the Post reported.

What you may have missed

Update 8:39 a.m. ET, Dec. 10: Luigi Mangione was charged with murder after being captured at a west-central Pennsylvania McDonald’s, CNN reported.

Luigi Mangione

The murder charges were filed in New York, but Mangione also faces charges in Pennsylvania of forgery, tampering of records or ID, false identification to law enforcement, firearm not to be carried without a license and possession of an instrument of crime with intent, court records showed. He was arraigned on Monday evening and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 23, according to court records. He is being held in jail. Bail was denied.

Altoona Police were alerted to Mangione’s presence at the McDonald’s on Monday morning and when they got there, they said they found him “wearing a medical mask and a beanie” at a table “in the rear of the building.” He was looking at a laptop, the criminal complaint stated, according to CNN.

They asked him to pull down the medical mask and they recognized him.

Police asked him for identification and he gave them a New Jersey ID with the name Mark Rosario. When they asked him if he had recently been to New York City, Mangione “became quiet and started to shake.”

Once police ran the name on the identification, and nothing came up, they told him he was under investigation and that was when he told him his real name, CNN reported.

Police said that they found a 3D-printed gun, a loaded Glock magazine and a 3D-printed silencer in his backpack, CNN reported.

Police also found a hand-written manifesto that police said gave Mangione’s motive for shooting Thompson. There was no specific named target in the document, but showed, according to police, “ill will towards corporate America.”

He wrote, “These parasites had it coming” and “I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”

He also allegedly wrote that UnitedHealthcare’s market capitalization grew while American life expectancy had not, The New York Times reported.

“To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” the document read, according to the Times. It went on to say companies “continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it.”

Pennsylvania State Police believe Mangione was in the state for several days. Altoona is about 280 miles from New York City. Police are still determining where he was since the shooting on Dec. 4.

“We’ve already identified businesses, for example, that he frequented in this area and activities that he engaged in — that led us to more evidence, and so all of that is becoming kind of a mountain of evidence that has to be analyzed and looked at,” Lt. Col. George Bivens said, according to CNN.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Mangione traveled between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, stopping between the two main cities.

Who is Luigi Mangione?

Update 2:57 p.m. ET, Dec. 9: The Associated Press has found more information about Luigi Mangione, the man who is the person of interest in the shooting and killing of Thompson.

Mangione was his high school’s valedictorian. He attended Gilman School, a prep school in Maryland, before attending the University of Pennsylvania where he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science.

He learned coding in high school and started a club at Penn for students who were interested in gaming and game design.

UnitedHealth Group releases statement

Update 2:31 p.m. ET, Dec. 9: UnitedHealth Group released a statement about the arrest which said, “Our hope Is that today’s apprehension brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues, and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy. We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy as they mourn,” CNN reported on air.

NYC officials confirm arrest

Update 1:43 p.m. ET, Dec. 9: Mayor Eric Adams said that the man in custody, identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, matched the photos of the person of interest in Thompson’s death and that he had items on him at the time of his detention connected to the shooting, The New York Times reported.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that he had a gun, silencer and a fake I.D. card from New Jersey that matched the one used to check into a Manhattan hostel. He also had clothing that matched the gunman’s clothes.

Tisch said, a “combination of old-school detective work and new age technology” led to his capture.

Mangione is from Maryland originally, but his last known address was in Hawaii, NYPD Chief of Detectives, Joseph Kenny said in an afternoon news conference. He also has connections in San Francisco. Mangione had no known criminal record, Kenny said. He said the investigation is ongoing.

The manifest that is said to have been in Mangione’s possession is in the custody of Altoona Police as New York officials travel to central Pennsylvania. The two cities are about 280 miles away from each other.

Kenny said an employee of the McDonald’s alerted law enforcement officials of Mangione’s presence at the restaurant. Mangione had been eating at the time.

Police don’t believe he was trying to leave the country, CNN reported. They also believe he acted alone. Police believe that the ghost gun he had in his possession may have been 3D printed. It was able to fire a 9mm and had a suppressor. No identification is needed to buy a kit to build a ghost gun, unlike traditional firearms. They also do not have serial numbers like traditional weapons.

Kenny did not shed light on how Mangione traveled from New York City to Altoona, Pennsylvania. They also did not have his name prior to Monday.

Mangione was originally from Maryland and his last known address was in Hawaii, The Associated Press reported.

Man identified

Update 1:30 p.m. ET, Dec. 9: Police have identified the man as Luigi Mangione, 26, The New York Times reported. He had identification with his name on it along with fake IDs. He has not been charged in connection with the deadly shooting last week.

Manifesto found

Update 12:40 p.m. ET, Dec. 9: Law enforcement officials told The New York Times that the man had a manifesto. The newspaper reported that law enforcement officials said the document was handwritten and criticized health care companies for putting profits above care.

Fake ID matched one used at hostel

Update 12:14 p.m. ET, Dec. 9: The New York Times reported that one of the identification cards was the same one he used to check into a hostel in New York City on Nov. 24.

The newspaper reported that the man was arrested on local charges, but the exact charges were not released. Senior law enforcement said it may have been for presenting false identification to police.

As for the gun found in the man’s possession, it matched the one used in the shooting of Brian Thompson and is believed to be a ghost gun, or one put together from parts obtained online.

At one point NYPD detectives were in Atlanta since the bus the man took to New York originated there, WSB reported. But sources told WSB that there was no “family” or “history” ties to the city.

Detained at McDonalds

Update 12:07 p.m. ET, Dec. 9: The man was detained at a McDonald’s in west-central Pennsylvania , The New York Times reported.

A person at the restaurant called 911 after recognizing the man around 9:15 a.m. at the restaurant at 407 East Plank Road in Altoona, which connects state highways in the area. The New York Times reported it was a customer, while CNN reported on air it was an employee.

Man being questioned

Update 11:32 a.m. ET, Dec. 9: A man is being questioned by police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in connection with the deadly shooting.

Police said the man had a gun similar to one used in the shooting that left Brian Thompson dead, NBC News reported.

CNN reported the man was traveling by bus and had several fake IDs and a suppressor. Officials said they were acting off a tip.

No name has been released, but Altoona police confirmed a man who is a person of interest was in custody and being questioned, according to WTAJ.

WNBC reported that it is too soon to say if the man who is being questioned had anything to do with the shooting on Dec. 4, but detectives from the NYPD are on their way to speak with the man.

The news came on the same day that a private funeral was going to be held for Brian Thompson.

Original report: One of the images was taken as he sat in a taxi cab the day of the shooting, The New York Times reported. They were taken at about 7 a.m., or 15 minutes after the shooting. He took the taxi to a bus terminal near the George Washington Bridge.

Brian Thompson was killed on Dec. 4 outside of a hotel in Midtown Manhattan, CNN reported.

Police believe the man who pulled the trigger has left New York City, but still feel that he will be tracked down.

They have not yet identified the alleged shooter nor found the gun or the bike he used to leave the scene.

A backpack was recovered from Central Park where the man was seen entering minutes after the ambush. No gun was found inside, but the bag contained Monopoly money and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, CNN reported.

The man was last seen entering the Port Authority Bus Station, but not leaving it, leading officials to believe he boarded a bus and left the city.

He arrived in New York City on Nov. 24, 10 days before the shooting, on a bus that embarked from Atlanta, the Times reported. Police do not know when he got on the bus, which made about a half dozen stops between Atlanta and New York City, The Associated Press reported.

The man used a fake ID card from New Jersey and cash to check into a hostel, according to the AP. He checked out of the accommodations, which he shared with two roommates, until the morning of the shooting. Most of the time he was there, he kept a face mask on, only pulling it down while speaking with a female employee in the hostel lobby. Images from that brief encounter have been shared with police.

The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward while the NYPD is offering $10,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.


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