Suspect in UnitedHealth CEO killing charged with murder in New York
Mangione was seen in Pennsylvania, where he was recognized by a McDonald's employee
Luigi Mangione was charged with murder in New York for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive Brian Thompson after a five-day manhunt over the killing.
The New York charges came a few hours after Mangione, a 26-year-old Maryland native, was apprehended in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and held on five counts, including gun charges. New York is now expected to seek his return to face murder charges over the shooting.
New York authorities issued an arrest warrant for Mangione, according to the New York District Attorney's office, and a complaint against him remained under seal.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down in the early morning of Dec. 4 outside a Hilton hotel in what New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch called a "brazen, targeted" attack as he walked to UnitedHealth Group's annual investor conference.
Police said the gunman fled the scene into Central Park on a bicycle, and later left the city via a bus station at the George Washington Bridge.
Earlier Monday, Mangione appeared in court in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania for a preliminary arraignment on charges in that state, including forgery, carrying a gun without a license and showing law enforcement false identification, according to a criminal complaint released by the Pennsylvania court system.
Mangione's arrest signals an end to a five-day manhunt for the killing of the UnitedHealth executive that police say was targeted and premeditated. Monday night's hearing was Mangione's first encounter with the criminal justice system in connection with the shooting.
"That process will continue to play out and justice will be delivered in this case," Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at a press briefing. The governor said that Mangione traveled from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and made several stops in between, including in Altoona.
'Started to Shake'
Two officers responded to the McDonald's sighting in Altoona for a "suspicious male" who looked like the person in the photos of the Manhattan shooting, according to the criminal complaint. He was sitting at a table in the back of the restaurant wearing a medical mask with a backpack on the floor.
One of the police officers asked Mangione to pull down the mask. They immediately recognized him from footage in the New York shooting, according to the complaint. The officer asked for identification and Mangione handed over a New Jersey driver's license with the name "Mark Rosario" and a July 1998 birthdate. The officer then asked if he'd been to New York recently.
"The male became quiet and started to shake," according to the complaint.
Additional police responded and Mangione was told he was under investigation and that if he lied about his identity, he would be arrested. He then said his name is Luigi Mangione and provided a May 1998 birthdate.
An officer asked Mangione why he had lied about his name and he replied, "I clearly shouldn't have," he responded. They arrested him for forgery and providing false information to law enforcement. He was handcuffed and searched, then taken to the police station. A black pistol and a silencer, both of which had been made with a 3D printer, were found in his backpack.
The pistol had a metal slide and a plastic handle with a metal threaded barrel, and one loaded Glock magazine with six nine-millimeter rounds. A loose round was also found in the backpack.
Thompson, 50, was shot in the back and leg in the early hours of the morning outside of the New York Hilton Midtown. UnitedHealth was hosting its investor day at the hotel, where Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealth's insurance division, was slated to speak that morning.
Shapiro railed against those who "have looked to celebrate" instead of condemning Thompson's killer.
"In some dark corners this killer is being hailed as a hero," the governor said. "Hear me on this, he is no hero."