Luigi Mangione Charged With Murder After United Healthcare CEO Shooting, His Family Speaks Out

Luigi Mangione has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson less than one week after his fatal shooting in New York City.

In the state of New York, Mangione, 26, was charged with one count of murder, three counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of possession of a forged instrument, according to court documents obtained by NBC News on Monday, December 9.

Earlier on Monday, Mangione appeared in court for a preliminary arraignment hearing in Pennsylvania, the state in which he was apprehended. He was charged with two felonies — forgery and carrying a firearm without a license — plus three misdemeanor charges for tampering with records or identification, possessing instruments of crime and providing false identification to law enforcement, according to NBC News.

The charges came after Mangione was captured at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and named a person of interest in the shooting. He had been recognized by multiple patrons in the restaurant, and the store manager called the local authorities.

Mangione allegedly had a gun and a silencer similar to the one used in Thompson’s shooting. Additionally, he had a fake New Jersey ID that was reportedly used to check into the New York City hostel where the suspect had been staying prior to the shooting.

“Because of that, we believe we have a strong person of interest,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated at a news conference. “He matches the description of the person we are looking for.”

Mangione’s family spoke out following his arrest, saying in a statement to NBC News that they are “devastated by the news.”

“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media,” the statement read. “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.”

Mangione’s friends at Surfbreak coliving community in Hawaii, where he lived from January to June 2022, also spoke out. “It just makes me sad to think how alone he must feel,” food technologist Jackie Wexler said.

Thompson was killed at approximately 6:45 a.m. on December 4 while walking to the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where he was scheduled to attend a shareholder’s conference. The CEO was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

A masked man wearing a hood shot Thompson assassination-style and fled the scene on foot before disappearing into Central Park on an e-scooter. The suspect left behind a backpack, but it contained only a jacket and Monopoly money.

On December 5, the New York City Police Department released surveillance photos taken at HI New York City Hostel on Amsterdam Avenue near 104th Street in Manhattan. The images showed a portion of the suspect’s face. New York authorities revealed that the suspect had arrived in Manhattan on November 24, 10 days before the shooting occurred, and checked out on November 29 before checking in again the following day with the fake New Jersey ID.