A 26-year-old man arrested Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania, is believed to be the person of interest in last week's fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, the New York Police Department commissioner said.
Luigi Mangione was arrested on firearms charges in a McDonald's restaurant after an employee thought he looked like the person of interest in Thompson's "brazen, targeted murder," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference.
Mangione, who has no known prior arrests, was in possession of a ghost gun — meaning it was put together with parts sold online — that matches the gun believed to have been used in the shooting, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
"As of right now, the information we're getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun," Kenny said. "It may have been made on a 3D printer and the capability of firing a 9-millimeter round."
Kenny said police believe the suspect acted alone, was not trying to flee the country at the time of arrest, and that no other potential victims had been targeted.
Tisch said police recovered other evidence on Mangione.
"[Mangione] was carrying multiple, fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport," the commissioner said. "Upon further investigation, officers recovered a firearm on his person, as well as a suppressor, both consistent with the weapon used in the murder."
Tisch said Mangione was in possession of a mask "consistent with those worn by our wanted individual," and a fraudulent ID matching the one used to check into the Manhattan hostel used before the shooting.
"Additionally, officers recovered a handwritten document that speaks to both his motivation and mindset," Tisch said.
Kenny said the "handwritten three-page document" made it seem "he [Mangione] had some ill will toward corporate America."
The chief added that Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, with "ties to San Francisco, California." His last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii.
For now, Mangione faces gun charges in Altoona and the authorities will work on getting him to New York, Kenny said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will determine the extent of additional charges against Mangione, police said.
Tisch said NYPD detectives were headed to Pennsylvania to question Mangione.
Mangione was valedictorian of his 2016 high school graduating class at the Gilman School in Baltimore, where he played soccer, according to online sites.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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