UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting: Suspect charged with murder had writings with 'motivation'

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.

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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.

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.

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

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 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 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.

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. 

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.

One of the Altoona police officers who arrested Mangione has been on the job for only six months.

Patrolman Tyler Frye and his partner recognized Mangione immediately as the man in photos distributed after Thompson was killed.

“We just didn’t even think twice about it; we knew that was our guy,” Frye said.

Frye said making an arrest in the much-watched case was not what he expected.

“I can’t say I was expecting it by any means, but it feels good to get a guy like that off the street,” Frye said tonight at a news conference. “Especially starting my career this way, it feels great.”

At a hearing this evening at a Blair County courthouse, Mangione was denied bail and acknowledged that he understood the charges against him. He did not enter a plea in connection with forgery, gun crimes and other charges.

Authorities said a silencer found with Mangione was made using a 3D printer.

Mangione contested a claim that he had a large sum of money and foreign currency in his backpack.

He said he’d worked as an engineer until a year ago and initially gave his home address as Towson, Maryland. He later gave an address in Honolulu and added that he moved often.

He said he had no criminal history or drug or alcohol issues.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned comments online that celebrated Thompson's killer.

"In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint,” Shapiro said. “I understand people have real frustration with our health care system, and I have worked to address that throughout my career.

“But I have no tolerance, nor should anyone, for one man, using an illegal ghost gun, to murder someone because he thinks his opinion matters most,” Shapiro said.

The person who recognized Mangione at an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s today and called police is a hero, Gov. Josh Shapiro said.

“I want to begin by thanking our fellow Pennsylvania resident who acted as a hero today,” Shapiro said.

“A Pennsylvania resident saw something earlier this morning at McDonald’s and said something,” he said.

After outlining the charges Mangione faces in Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro said he expects "New York will file charges very soon."

Police have said that when he was arrested earlier today, Mangione, 26, was found with a gun similar to the one used in the shooting of Thompson last week and had a fake ID with the same name the suspected gunman used at a New York City hostel.

Mangione was arrested on charges of forgery, carrying a firearm without a license, tampering with records or identification, possessing instruments of a crime and providing false identification to law enforcement authorities in Pennsylvania today, according to records.

Police wrote in a criminal complaint that they “immediately” recognized Mangione from photos distributed in the search for a suspected gunman in Thompson's killing after they were called to a McDonald’s in Altoona.

The five counts are two felonies and three misdemeanors. The count of forgery is a second-degree felony, and possession of a firearm without a license is a third-degree felony, the complaint says.

Mangione was walked into the courthouse in Pennsylvania for a preliminary arraignment. 

A post on one of Mangione’s social accounts features an X-ray of a back with screws in it. Investigators are working to determine whether the X-ray is his or that of a relative and whether it has anything to do with Thompson's slaying, two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News.

Mangione is scheduled to appear in a Pennsylvania courthouse this evening for a preliminary arraignment.

He was appear at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania court system said.

Video showed Mangione, wearing a dark sweatshirt, being taken out of a vehicle in handcuffs and into the courthouse.

He did not appear to make any comments.

Mangione was arrested today in Pennsylvania on firearms charges, New York Mayor Eric Adams has said.

NBC News correspondent Sam Brock joins Nicolle Wallace on "Deadline White House" with reaction to the latest developments in the killing of a health care CEO in New York City. Authorities arrested a person of interest, identified as Luigi Mangione, after a McDonald’s employee recognized him while he was eating in the restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania. 

Investigators say they are aware of online posts that Mangione may have created about Ted Kaczynski, the domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber.

Investigators say they are scouring all of Mangione's online posts, including posts on Goodreads that mention the Unabomber. Investigators will see whether they can glean any clues from the posts or whether they help them know more about Mangione, whom authorities have called a "strong person of interest" in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Kaczynski was an anti-technology recluse who killed three people with mail bombs from 1978 to 1995.

Mangione received multiple science engineering degrees at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mangione received a BS in engineering in May 2020 and a master of science engineering degree at the Ivy League school at the same time, it said.

His core studies centered on computer science and math, the university said.

UnitedHealth Group, owner of UnitedHealthcare, said in a statement it hopes the arrest brings relief to those affected by the "unspeakable tragedy."

“Our hope is that today’s apprehension brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy," the statement said, referring to Brian Thompson, who was shot and killed last week. "We thank law enforcement, and we will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy as they mourn.”

Below is a photo of the gun found on Luigi Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania, today.

A senior law enforcement official said it appears to be similar to the weapon used in the murder of Thompson.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione was born and raised in Maryland and has ties to San Francisco, with a last known address in Honolulu. 

Police believe he attended college in Pennsylvania. 

Kenny said that police did not have his name before today and that he has no known previous arrests in the country. 

“At some point, we’ll work out through extradition to bring him back to New York to face charges here, working with the Manhattan district attorney’s office,” Kenny said.

New York Mayor Eric Adams announced that a “strong person of interest” has been identified in the manhunt for the suspected shooter. Adams said the man is in possession of several items that officials believe will “connect him” to the shooting.

Mangione was found with a ghost gun and a suppressor “both consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Officers also recovered a handwritten three-page document “that speaks to both his motivation and mindset,” she said. Officials did not elaborate on the contents of the document.

Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the Altoona Police Department has the document. 

“Just from briefly speaking with them … it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America,” he said. 

Mangione was in a McDonald's earlier today in Altoona and was recognized by an employee who called police. Officers described him as “acting suspiciously” and as carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport, Tisch said.

Police also recovered clothing, including a mask consistent with the masks worn by the shooting suspect. Police recovered a fraudulent New Jersey ID matching the ID the shooting suspect used to check into a New York City hostel before Thompson was shot. 

New York City police detectives are on their way to Pennsylvania to interview Mangione. 

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced that Luigi Mangione, 26, had been arrested on firearm charges in Altoona, Pennsylvania. 

“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,” she said at a previously scheduled news conference about a separate matter.

Mangione has not been charged in connection with Thompson's slaying. 

The person being questioned in Altoona has been identified as Luigi Mangione, according to six law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation. 

He has not been charged or arrested. 

The man being questioned in Altoona was found carrying a fake New Jersey ID with the name “Marc Rosario,” two senior law enforcement officials said.

Police said last week that the suspected shooter arrived in New York City via bus in late November and had stayed at a Manhattan hostel.

The man who checked into that Manhattan hostel last month also used a fake New Jersey ID with the same name, “Marc Rosario,” three sources familiar with the matter said. 

Investigators are looking into whether the man being questioned in Altoona, Pennsylvania, had recently traveled there by bus from Philadelphia, a senior law enforcement official said.

CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was gunned down in front of the New York Hilton Midtown as he was on his way to speak at UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference around 6:45 a.m. Wednesday. 

Police said the shooter appeared to wait for his target in what New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described as a “premeditated, preplanned targeted attack.”

The shooter, who was masked, approached Thompson from behind and shot him at least once in the back and once in the right calf.  Police said shell casings found at the scene had the words “deny,” “delay” and “depose” written on them.

The gunman fled on foot, then on a bike into Central Park, New York City police have said. The last video of the alleged shooter was at a bus depot in upper Manhattan. 

The man police are questioning today in Pennsylvania was described as "suspicious" by customers at a McDonald's, who called police, three senior law enforcement officials said.

When police arrived, they noticed the man had a fake ID, and he was taken to a police station for questioning, two senior law enforcement officials said.

There, they discovered he had a gun similar to the one used in the killing of Brian Thompson, a silencer and a fake New Jersey ID, the two sources said.

A man in Altoona, Pennsylvania, is being questioned by authorities after he was found with a gun similar to the one used in the fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO in New York. NBC News’ Tom Winter has details on the developments.

Authorities are questioning a man in central Pennsylvania in connection with the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, law enforcement sources said today.

The man in Altoona drew the attention of investigators, in part, because he was found with a gun similar to the one used in Wednesday’s deadly shooting, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.

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