Luigi Mangione: What we know about man arrested in connection with Brian Thompson shooting

A man linked to the deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been identified as Luigi Mangione.

A 26-year-old individual was taken into custody on a gun-related offense by law enforcement in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday morning. This arrest came after a masked assailant shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan the previous Wednesday.

Officials stated on Monday that he has not been accused of murdering Mr. Thompson.

Detectives from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) have gone to Pennsylvania to interview Mangione.

Here's what we have learned about him up to this point...

NYPD officials reported that Mangione was taken into custody in Altoona on Monday, following a tip from a McDonald's worker who recognized him from police requests for information.

Altoona is approximately 230 miles west of New York, located in Pennsylvania.

Police reported that he possessed a silencer and a firearm that matched the type used in the homicide.

They indicated that the firearm seemed to be a "ghost gun," which is a type of weapon that can be put together at home from individual components and does not have a serial number. It is also thought that it might have been created with a 3D printer.

Mangione was found to possess a counterfeit New Jersey identification card under the name Mark Rosario. This ID corresponded to a document that the suspect used to register at a hostel in the city prior to the attack, as stated by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch during a press conference on Monday.

He was discovered with a "written note" that Ms. Tisch mentioned reflected "his reasons for acting and his way of thinking."

Joseph Kenny, the chief of detectives for the NYPD, noted that the document suggested the suspect harbored some resentment towards big corporations.

The police report indicates that Mangione grew up in Maryland and has connections to both San Francisco, California, and Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii.

His social media indicates that he hails from Towson, an affluent neighborhood located just north of Baltimore. It's reported that he went to Gilman School, a private all-boys institution in the city.

Tuition fees can reach as high as $37,000 (£29,000), depending on the student’s age. The school has a remarkable roster of former students, featuring successful entrepreneurs, NFL athletes, and ex-state senators.

Following his graduation in 2016, it seems that Mangione enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania.

Based on his social media accounts, he pursued a degree in computer science and, while studying, started a gaming research group called UPGRADE (UPenn Game Research and Development Environment).

He subsequently started his own video game company that specialized in creating small and straightforward games.

As stated on his LinkedIn profile, Mangione relocated to California in 2020 and took a position at a website focused on online retailing for both new and used vehicles.

Magione states that he hails from Honolulu on his LinkedIn profile, and photos posted on his public Instagram account depict him on the island of Hawaii.

How active is he on social media?

Mangione seems to be quite active on social media.

An account associated with his name and image on the X platform consistently posts and shares articles that delve into various ideas, often focusing on themes like artificial intelligence, philosophy, and the future of humanity in an increasingly tech-driven world.

In January 2024, the account lauded the book *What's Our Problem?* by the well-known American writer Tim Urban, who frequently explores similar themes. The account suggested that this book might be remembered as one of the most significant philosophical works of the early 21st century.

Although the account touches on political matters, it appears to remain silent on opinions regarding the American healthcare and insurance system.

On a different profile that had his name and picture on the book review platform Goodreads, he seemed to rate a book titled Industrial Society and Its Future by Theodore Kaczynski with four stars.

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The work, which criticized technological progress, became famous as the Unabomber Manifesto after its writer embarked on a nearly two-decade-long campaign of sending explosive packages, claiming it was an effort to safeguard the environment.

Three individuals lost their lives, and many others were hurt during the bombing campaign that culminated in his arrest in 1996.

In the review, a profile that appears to be operated by Mangione stated: "When every other way of communicating breaks down, sometimes violence becomes essential for survival. While you might disagree with his approach, if you look at it from his point of view, it's not an act of terrorism, but rather a struggle for freedom and change."

The phrase "Violence never solves anything" is often said by those who are fearful or by those looking to take advantage of others.

Brian Thompson, 50, served as the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, which ranks as the fourth-largest publicly traded company in the United States.

On December 4, he was attacked by what specialists describe as an "experienced, professional assassin" who shot him while he was entering a Manhattan hotel where his business was hosting a conference.

Last week, investigators revealed that the bullets discovered at the scene had the words "defend," "deny," and "depose" inscribed on them. These words closely resemble the title of a book that takes aim at health insurance providers.

The shooting occurred at 6:45 AM on Wednesday, December 4th, shortly before the sun came up.

Mr. Thompson was in New York City attending the annual investor conference hosted by UnitedHealthcare, scheduled to kick off at 8 a.m.

As he approached the entrance of the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, a shooter emerged from two parked vehicles behind him.

The suspect pulled out his gun and shot it at least three times from a distance of about 15 feet (4.6 meters) while standing on the sidewalk.

Mr. Thompson sustained gunshot wounds to his back and calf, which ultimately led to his death.

UnitedHealthcare is the biggest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the United States and oversees insurance for businesses as well as state and federally funded programs.

It ranks as the fourth biggest publicly traded company in the nation, following Walmart, Amazon, and Apple.