Police have named a Maryland resident as the suspect in last week's assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was shot in the back outside a New York City Hilton hotel hours before Wednesday's shareholder meeting. A 26-year-old man was identified.
Luigi Nicolas Mangione was arrested Monday morning in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a witness spotted him and thought he matched the suspect on a wanted poster. Police responded to the scene after receiving a report of a person matching the description of a man wanted for questioning in Thompson's murder, but Altoona police initially said they took Thompson into custody on unrelated charges.
Senior law enforcement officials told Fox News and Fox News Digital that the suspect was in possession of a “ghost gun” similar to the alleged murder weapon, a suppression device and false identification when he was taken into custody. spoke. The Associated Press also reported that he had written books critical of the medical industry.
Suspect in custody in investigation of murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson: Latest news
Luigi Mangione in a Facebook photo. Mangione was taken into custody in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday morning in connection with the ambush and murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City. (Luigi Mangione/Facebook)
Mangione graduated at the top of his class from the Gilman School, an elite high school in Baltimore. A video of his graduation ceremony shows him giving the commencement speech.
“He seemed like a smart kid and always seemed to do the right thing,” a former classmate told Fox News Digital on Monday. “I wasn't crazy.”
He said he was shocked when he heard the news of the arrest.
Luigi Mangione poses with a McDonald's meal in a Facebook photo posted on August 24, 2019. Mangione was arrested Monday at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in connection with the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Luigi Mangione/Facebook)
“It's not that he wasn't outgoing, it's not that he wasn't introverted,” he says. She was a good kid and always had a smile on her face. There was no sense that he was socially awkward. That's why I'm really surprised. I graduated in 2015. He graduated in 2016, and it's crazy how people change after 10 years, after 9 years. ”
NYPD believes United Healthcare CEO's assassin left New York City by bus on the morning of the shooting
This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group, via A)
Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering and was a member of the Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society for Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Mangione was active on social media and had accounts on X, Facebook, and Instagram. The posts discussed a variety of interests, including artificial intelligence and social commentary.
His criminal history includes a December 2023 misdemeanor case for trespassing at the Nuuanu Pali Observation Deck in Honolulu, Hawaii.
A screenshot of surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows a person wanted in connection with the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. is reflected. (NYPD Crime Stoppers)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“He matches the ID description we were looking for,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference Monday. ”
FOX News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.
