Police have identified Luigi Mangione, 26, as a person of interest in the deadly shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week, after Mangione was taken into custody in Pennsylvania earlier on Monday.
Mangione was arrested at around 9 a.m. at a McDonald’s in Altoona, about 280 miles from New York City, after police received a tip, according to officials.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Altoona police arrested Mangione on firearm charges. He is believed to be “our person of interest,” she said during a briefing.
Tisch said Mangione is a Maryland native. His last known address was Honolulu, Hawaii. He has no prior arrest history in New York
He was reportedly found with a gun, a silencer, false identification cards and identification with his name on it, the officials said. He also had a handwritten manifesto that criticized health care companies for putting profits above care, according to multiple outlets, including The New York Times and New York Post.
Mangione has not been charged in connection with the shooting as of 2 p.m. Monday, nor was he officially named as a suspect.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione was in possession of a “ghost gun,” which may have been made using a 3-D printer, that was capable of firing 9mm rounds.
Kenney said Mangione was also carrying a three-page handwritten manifesto. He wouldn’t say if it mentioned Thompson by name, or UnitedHealthcare, but noted they don’t see any threats to others.
“It does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America,” Kenny said. He credited the photo police released of the suspect’s face as the key to capturing Mangione.
Thompson was killed early in the morning Dec. 4 outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan after being shot in the back and right calf on the way to address a meeting of investors. He was declared dead at a hospital.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) found a backpack Friday in New York’s Central Park that they say the killer discarded as he fled the area. Officials have said they believe he left the city on a bus on the day of the shooting.
The shooter is known to have used a 9 mm pistol that police said resembled the guns farmers use to put down animals without causing a loud noise. The bullet shells reportedly had the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” written on them.
Authorities have collected and tested DNA evidence, including a discarded water bottle and protein bar wrapper, discovered near the scene. The police say they believe the suspect used a fake ID when staying in the city overnight.
The FBI has also joined the investigation, offering up to $50,000 for information leading to the gunman’s arrest and conviction, according to the FBI’s field office in New York City.
The Hill has reached out to the NYPD for comment and confirmation.
Updated: 2:13 p.m.
