Luigi Mangione, the man named a person of interest and taken into custody on gun charges believed to be connected to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, made his first public appearance Monday evening as he was escorted inside a Pennsylvania courthouse.
Officers brought a handcuffed Mangione, 26, into the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, where he's expected to appear for a preliminary appearance.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the killing of 50-year-old Thompson as a "brazen" and "targeted murder" at a Monday press conference announcing 26-year-old Mangione, of Towson, Maryland, was taken into custody earlier in the day while eating at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
A worker recognized him and called 911, she said.
Mangione was not charged in connection with the shooting at the time, but was brought in on gun charges.
The purported shooter was "acting suspiciously and was carrying multiple fraudulent IDs," including the fake New Jersey ID believed to be used to check into a New York City hostel prior to the deadly incident, said Tisch. A ghost gun, suppressor and manifesto that "spoke to both his motivation and mindset" were also allegedly recovered from the suspect, police said.
"We don't think there's any specific threats to other people mentioned in that document, but it does seem that he has some ill will towards corporate America," NYPD Chief Joseph Kenny told reporters.
Police believe he acted alone.
Thompson was in New York City for the company's annual investors meeting Wednesday when he was ambushed by a masked shooter who fired off several rounds into his back and leg, killing him outside a Manhattan hotel.
He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Mangione, who immediately fled the scene and evaded capture for nearly a week, has no prior criminal record in New York, police said. He was not on police radar prior to his capture.
Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Masters in Engineering in 2020. Before then, he attended an all-boys preparatory school in Baltimore.
He currently works as a Data Engineer for TrueCar, Inc., and lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, according to his LinkedIn.
Originally published by Lawyer Herald
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