A man who was questioned in Pennsylvania in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been identified as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, New York City police said Monday.
Mangione was identified in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania after a patron at the fast food joint apparently recognized him from the images circulated by the NYPD following last week’s shooting and alerted police.
He was carrying a ghost gun, a suppresser, “multiple fraudulent IDs,” including one the NYPD believes was used by the gunman, and a handwritten, three-page manifesto that was critical of the health care system. Authorities also recovered clothing and masks that are “consistent with” those seen on the suspect in photos.
Mangione was arrested on firearm charges, but has not been charged in the fatal shooting of the CEO outside a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan last Wednesday. He is, however, considered to be a “strong person of interest in the shooting that shook our city,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a Monday press conference
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said it was a “combination of old-school detective work and new age technology” that helped lead police to Mangione, who has ties to Maryland, California, Hawaii, and does not have an arrest record, police said.
The arrest comes as a private funeral is set to be held Monday for Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO who was gunned down as he arrived at the hotel last week for an investors’ conference.
Luigi Mangione was valedictorian at elite prep school
Luigi Mangione, the man arrested on firearm charges who is also a person of interest in the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, attended a Baltimore private school for boys, graduating as valedictorian from the Gilman School in 2016, the Associated Press reported.
In his speech, Mangione described his classmates’ “incredible courage to explore the unknown and try new things,” according to a post on the school website. He praised their collective inventiveness and pioneering mindset.
Gilman is one of Baltimore’s most elite prep schools. Some of the city’s wealthiest and most prominent people, including Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., have had children attend the school.
Mangione told the local news outlet Baltimore Fishbowl that he planned to pursue a dual degree in artificial intelligence at the University of Pennsylvania.
He had learned to code in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in gaming and game design, according to a 2018 story in Penn Today, a campus publication.
His posts also suggest that he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. They also show him taking part in a 2019 program at Stanford University, and in photos with family and friends in Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, the New Jersey shore and other destinations.
Andrea Cavallier9 December 2024 21:00
UnitedHealthcare spokesperson releases statement
“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,” the statement said.
“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.”
Andrea Cavallier9 December 2024 20:45
Luigi Mangione was a head counselor at Stanford in 2019
Mangione was employed as a head counselor in the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies Program from May through September of 2019, Stanford University confirmed.
Photos on Mangione’s Facebook page show him on campus and on a trip to the nearby San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Andrea Cavallier9 December 2024 20:41
Luigi Mangione was a head counselor at Stanford in 2019
Mangione was employed as a head counselor in the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies Program from May through September of 2019, Stanford University confirmed.
Photos on Mangione’s Facebook page show him on campus and on a trip to the nearby San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Andrea Cavallier9 December 2024 20:40
Ghost gun may have been made on 3D printer
When Mangione, the person of interest, was taken in for questioning on Monday, he was in possession of a ghost gun that may have been made on a 3D printer.
The ghost gun had the capability of firing a nine millimeter round and a suppressor.
Mangione has been arrested on firearm charges, authorities said.
Andrea Cavallier9 December 2024 20:30
Person of interest gave the Unabomber’s manifesto four stars on Goodreads
The person of interest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson appears to have left a positive review for the Unabomber’s manifesto online earlier this year, and praised the killer as a “political revolutionary.”
Police named Luigi Mangione as a “strong person of interest” on Monday after taking him into custody in connection with the killing.
An account under that name on book review website Goodreads, that also matches photos of the suspect on other social media platforms, gave Ted Kaczynski’s book a four-star review in January.
Andrea Cavallier9 December 2024 20:15
‘It had to be done’
A document was found on the person of interest, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Monday.
It reportedly slammed the healthcare industry and said “it had to be done,” allegedly referring to a top healthcare executive’s killing, a law enforcement official told CNN.
“These parasites had it coming” and “I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done,” were written in the document.
It was also noted that he acted alone and that he was self-funded.
Kenny said the document is currently in the possession of the Altoona Police Department.
“We don’t think there’s any specific threats to other people mentioned in that document, but it does seem that he has some ill will towards corporate America,” he added.
Andrea Cavallier9 December 2024 20:00
Everything we know about Luigi Mangione
Authorities on Monday identified a “strong person of interest” who was arrested on firearms charges and was being questioned in connection to the murder ofUnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside his Manhattan hotel early last Wednesday.
The man was identified Monday afternoon as Luigi Mangione, 26, who was recognized by the employee, authorities said at a press conference.
Andrea Cavallier9 December 2024 19:45
Luigi Mangione was eating at McDonald’s when he was recognized
Mangione was eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania when he was recognized by a patron who alerted an employee.
Over the past few days, the NYPD has released images of the suspect, some that show him with his mask off.
Andrea Cavallier9 December 2024 19:39