Ghost gun, manifesto: Person of interest in UnitedHealthcare CEO's murder arrested

When 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, a person of interest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was taken into custody by police after being spotted by a McDonald’s worker in Altoona, Pennsylvania, he had with him a ghost gun and a manifesto that officials believe could give insights behind the brazen murder that unfolded last week.

The arrest Monday marks the latest development in a dayslong manhunt that spanned multiple states — and police say the gun and manifesto weren’t the only items they discovered.

Thompson, of Minnesota, was shot and killed in a dawn ambush Wednesday outside a popular New York hotel as he traveled for an investors meeting.

Here’s what we know so far:

Who is Luigi Mangione?

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch identified Mangione only as a person of interest. He has not been charged at this time.

“At this time he is believed to be our person of interest in the brazen, targeted murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, last Wednesday in midtown Manhattan,” Tisch told reporters at a press conference Monday afternoon.

Mangione reportedly graduated in 2016 as valedictorian from Gilman School, an all-boys high school in Baltimore, Maryland. A spokesperson for the University of Pennsylvania confirmed he also graduated from the university in 2020 with a degree in computer and information science.

Mangione, 26, was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco, and his last known address is in Honolulu, Hawaii, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing.

Kenny noted that Mangione does not have a criminal history. He is being held in Pennsylvania on gun charges and officials expect he will be extradited to New York.

How was he arrested?

Police apprehended the man after receiving a tip that he had been spotted at a McDonald’s near Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 233 miles west of New York City.

A worker alerted authorities and as officers arrived, Mangione was “sitting there eating,” Kenny said.

Officers questioned Mangione, who was acting suspiciously and carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport, Tisch said.

What did police find during the arrest?

Mangione had a ghost gun and officers also found a suppressor, “both consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” Tisch said.

“They also recovered clothing, including a mask consistent with those worn by our wanted individual,” Tisch said. “Also recovered was a fraudulent New Jersey ID matching the ID our suspect used to check into his New York City hostel before the shooting incident.”

Two senior law enforcement officials say Mangione had the name “Mark Rosario” on his fake New Jersey ID. Three sources familiar with the matter say the suspected gunman in Thompson’s murder also checked into an Upper West Side hostel using a fake ID with the name “Mark Rosario.” Other fake IDs were found on Mangione Monday as well, investigators say.

Police also found a three-page document with writings suggesting that Mangione had “ill will toward corporate America,” Kenny said.

The handwritten document “speaks to both his motivation and mindset,” Tisch said.

What is a ghost gun?

A ghost gun is a type of weapon that can be assembled at home from parts without a serial number, making them difficult to trace, investigators said.

“As of right now the information we’re getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun that may have been made on a 3-D printer, capable of firing a 9 mm round,” Kenny said.

What happened in the shooting?

Thompson, 50, was killed last Wednesday in what police said was a “brazen, targeted” attack as he walked alone to the Hilton Midtown hotel, where UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was holding its annual investor conference, police said.

The shooter appeared to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching the executive from behind and opening fire, Tisch said. He used a 9 mm pistol that police said resembled the guns farmers use to put down animals without causing a loud noise.

In the days since the shooting, police turned to the public for help by releasing a collection of photos and video — including footage of the attack, as well as images of the suspect at a Starbucks beforehand.

Photos taken in the lobby of a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side showed the suspect grinning after removing his mask, police said.

Investigators have suggested the gunman may have been a disgruntled employee or client of the insurer.

Ammunition found near Thompson’s body bore the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” mimicking a phrase used by insurance industry critics.

The gunman concealed his identity with a mask during the shooting yet left a trail of evidence, including a backpack he ditched in Central Park, a cellphone found in a pedestrian plaza and a water bottle and protein bar wrapper that police say he bought at Starbucks minutes before the attack.

On Friday, police found the backpack that they say the killer discarded as he fled from the crime scene to an uptown bus station, where they believe he left the city on a bus.

Retracing the gunman’s steps using surveillance video, investigators say the shooter fled into Central Park on a bicycle, emerged from park without his backpack and then ditched the bicycle.

He then walked a couple blocks and got into a taxi, arriving at at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, which is near the northern tip of Manhattan and offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

Late Saturday, police released two additional photos of the suspect that appeared to be from a camera mounted inside a taxi. The first shows him outside the vehicle and the second shows him looking through the partition between the back seat and the front of the cab. In both, his face is partially obscured by a blue mask.

Who was Brian Thompson?

Thompson, a father of two, was named CEO for Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare in April 2021, having served as a leader of numerous departments within the company prior, according to his bio on their site.

UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the country and also manages health insurance coverage for employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. It is the insurance arm of the health care giant UnitedHealth Group Inc., which is also based in Minnesota.

The company was scheduled to have its annual meeting with investors Wednesday morning, according to a company media advisory. It is believed Thompson was arriving early for that meeting to help set up, police said.

“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare,” UnitedHealth Group said in a statement. “Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”

Thompson’s wife described him as “a wonderful person with a big heart” and someone “who lived life to the fullest.”

“He will be greatly missed by everybody. Our hearts our broken and we are completely devastated by this news. He touched so many lives. We ask everybody to respect our privacy during this time,” Paulette Thompson told KARE 11.