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What we know about the shooting
- Luigi Mangione has been charged with murder in New York in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was shot and killed on a Manhattan street Wednesday.
- Mangione, 26, was arrested this morning in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and had a gun similar to the one used in the shooting, a silencer and a fake ID, police said.
- Police said that after a McDonald's employee recognized him, he was questioned by police and that when he was asked whether he had recently been to New York, he "became quiet and started to shake."
- Officers recovered a handwritten document that speaks to both his motivation and mindset, police said. Two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that the document refers to the health care industry.
- Thompson's killing stirred renewed discourse and criticism of the American health insurance industry.
‘Extremely ironic’: Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO slaying played video game killer, friend recalls
Mangione once belonged to a group of Ivy League gamers who played assassins, a member of the group told NBC News.
In the game, called “Among Us,” some players are secretly assigned to be killers in space who perform other tasks while trying to avoid suspicion from other players.
Alejandro Romero, who attended the University of Pennsylvania with Mangione and was a member of the same Discord group, said he was shocked when news broke on social media that Mangione had been taken into police custody.
“I just found it extremely ironic that, you know, we were in this game and there could actually be a true killer among us,” he said.
What to know about ‘ghost guns,’ the weapon allegedly tied to the CEO shooting
The man arrested in connection with the fatal shooting is alleged to have had a type of homemade weapon known as a “ghost gun.”
So what is that?
“Ghost guns” are firearms that can be assembled at home from parts that are bought online. Those parts can usually be obtained without background checks and do not have serial numbers.
The do-it-yourself kits have been around since the 1990s, but they have exploded in popularity in recent years — especially among criminals.
Mangione shook when asked whether he’d been to N.Y., Pennsylvania police say
When two Altoona, Pennsylvania, police officers spoke to Mangione at a McDonald’s and asked whether he’d been to New York City recently, Mangione trembled, according to a police report.
Police wrote in an affidavit that one of the officers “asked the male if he had been to New York recently and the male became quiet and started to shake.”
More police arrived, and Mangione was arrested, the police report says.
Police said Mangione initially gave police a fake ID. When he was asked why he lied about his identity, Mangione responded, “I clearly shouldn’t have,” police wrote in the report.
Shooting suspect took steps to try to stay ‘low-profile,’ police say
The person of interest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO took steps to try to stay out of the eye of authorities, Pennsylvania State Police said.
“Based on everything that we have seen, he was very careful with trying to stay low-profile, avoid cameras — not all that successfully in some cases,” Lt. Col. George Bivens said. “But that was certainly the effort he was making.”
Luigi Mangione, who was arrested in Altoona this morning, tried to avoid detection with some of his electronic devices, Bevins said.
“All part of the investigation, but clearly somebody that was security-conscious,” Bevins said.
New York City police have said Mangione wore a mask the entire time he was at a hostel there, and Mangione was wearing a mask when he was arrested today.
Mangione is believed to have been in Pennsylvania for several days, Bevins said.
Murder charge filed in New York
A murder charge has been filed in New York against Luigi Mangione, according to online court documents.
The records on the court’s website show five counts, all arrest charges. They list one count of murder, three counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of possession of a forged instrument.
Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania today, and officials said New York was expected to file charges.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment
Mangione family ‘devastated,’ praying for Thompson family
The family of Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the ambush killing of Brian Thompson, said they are offering prayers to the slain UnitedHealthcare CEO's family.
“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media,” the family said in a statement tonight.
“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved,” the family said on social media tonight.
“We are devastated by this news,” they wrote on X.
Mangione being held at state prison in Huntingdon
Mangione is being held at State Correctional Institution Huntingdon, in the Pennsylvania city of the same name, until his next court appearance, a spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections said.
Huntingdon, around 32 miles by road east of Altoona, where Mangione was arrested this morning, has a capacity of 1,869 inmates.
A judge in Blair County denied bail after a preliminary arraignment on gun, forgery and other charges.
A preliminary hearing in Pennsylvania is scheduled for Dec 23. Mangione could also be charged in New York, where police have called him a person of interest in Thompson's killing.
Mangione initially cooperative with police — not any longer
Mangione was cooperative with the officers who arrested him in Altoona, earlier today, but his approach has changed, police said.
“He was initially cooperative,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at a news conference tonight. “He is not now.”
Patrolman Tyler Frye, who along with his partner arrested Mangione at a McDonald’s restaurant, said the suspect gave them no trouble.
“He was very cooperative with us; didn’t really give us too many issues,” Frye said.
Altoona Deputy Police Chief Derek Swope said at an early evening news conference after Mangione’s court appearance that he was not aware of any further statements made by Mangione.
Suspect's handwritten document addresses health care industry, sources say
After he was arrested, law enforcement officials discovered a three-page, handwritten document from the suspect in the slaying "that speaks to both his motivation and mindset,” officials said.
Two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that the document refers to the health care industry.
One senior law enforcement official said it refers to avoiding detection.
Suspect had been in Pennsylvania for several days, police say
Mangione is believed to have been in Pennsylvania for several days before he was arrested in Altoona today, a state police official said.
“Part of that investigation will focus on trying to retrace his steps,” Lt. Col. George Bivens said. “We’ve already identified businesses, for example, that he frequented in this area and activities that he engaged in.”
Electronic devices and other evidence retrieved from a backpack are being examined, Bivens said.
Investigators believe Mangione was in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh at some point, but more details were not shared. Altoona is about 80 miles east of Pittsburgh.
"We do have an idea how he got from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, but there are some gaps in time," Bivens said. "And so before we start laying out a timeline of his travel, we really need to work through all of that."
Mangione is charged with gun, forgery and other counts in Pennsylvania, and charges in New York connected with Thompson's slaying are expected soon, officials said.