Five days after the tragic shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, authorities have apprehended the man suspected of his murder. Brian Thompson was killed while on his way to an insurance conference.
Luigi Nicholas Mangione, the suspect, left several clues that led to his arrest. Among the items found were a backpack containing Monopoly money, a jacket, and evidence of his presence in various locations including a cab, a Starbucks, and a hostel. A tip from a concerned citizen eventually led to his capture.
On December 9, Mangione was located at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. A senior employee at the restaurant notified police of the 26-year-old’s location as he sat quietly reading.
According to court records, Mangione, originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, was found wearing a blue medical mask and using a laptop. When questioned by an officer about recent travel to New York, he became noticeably nervous. A search of his backpack revealed a black, 3D-printed gun and silencer.
Pennsylvania police confirmed that Mangione was taken into custody at approximately 9:15 a.m.
Following the arrest, a family statement was provided by his cousin, Nino Mangione, a Republican Baltimore County Delegate, later in the evening.
“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Nino Mangione expressed.
“We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news.”
The family stated that they couldn’t comment further on the reports regarding Mangione and that they ‘only know what we have read in the media’.
Mangione, a computer science graduate, hails from a financially affluent family in Maryland, raised in Towson near Baltimore. His family owns two large country clubs and a radio station.
The incident occurred on December 4, when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot three times from behind outside the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan, New York City.
Thompson was en route to an insurance conference organized by his company when the suspect ambushed him, as confirmed by the New York Police Department. The assailant waited for approximately five minutes before attacking.
He was struck by bullets in his back and right calf, and the bullets and casings bore inscriptions such as ‘deny’, ‘depose’, and ‘defend’, according to reports from ABC News and The New York Post.
Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in a critical condition but succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.