Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO is ordered held without bail after brief court appearance

Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO has been ordered held without bail after a brief court appearance in Pennsylvania.

Police arrested the suspect Monday in the brazen Manhattan killing of the CEO after a quick-thinking McDonald's employee in Pennsylvania alerted authorities to a customer who was found with a gun, mask and writings linking him to the ambush.

The chance sighting at the restaurant in Altoona led to a dramatic break in a challenging but fast-moving investigation that had captivated the public in the five days since the shooting that shook the health insurance industry.

The suspect, identified by police as 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione, had a gun believed to be the one used in last Wednesday's shooting of Brian Thompson, as well as writings suggesting anger with corporate America, police said.

He was charged with weapons, forgery and other charges.

Mangione was sitting at a table in the rear of the McDonald's wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a laptop computer, documents said. When an officer asked if he'd been to New York recently, he "became quiet and started to shake."

In his backpack, police found a black, 3D-printed pistol and a 3D-printed black silencer, according to the documents. The pistol had a metal slide and plastic handle with a metal threaded barrel. He was taken into custody about 9:15 a.m., Pennsylvania, police said.

"He is believed to be our person of interest in the brazen, targeted murder of Brian Thompson," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Mangione had clothing and a mask similar to those worn by the shooter and a fraudulent New Jersey ID matching one the suspect used to check into a New York City hostel before the shooting, Tisch said.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco and a last known address in Honolulu. A message left Monday with a Philadelphia-area phone number connected to Mangione was not immediately returned.

He was being held in Pennsylvania on gun charges and eventually will be extradited to New York to face charges in connection with Thompson's death, Kenny said.

Mangione was arraigned and ordered held without bail during a brief court hearing. Asked if he needed a public defender, he asked if he could "answer that at a future date."

Police found a three-page document with writings suggesting that Mangione had "ill will toward corporate America," Kenny said.

The handwritten document "speaks to both his motivation and mindset," Tisch said.

Mangione had a ghost gun, a type of weapon that can be assembled at home from parts without a serial number, making them difficult to trace, investigators said.

"As of right now the information we're getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun that may have been made on a 3D printer, capable of firing a 9 mm round," Kenny said.

Officers questioned Mangione, who was acting suspiciously and carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a US passport, Tisch said. Officers found a suppressor, "both consistent with the weapon used in the murder," the commissioner said.

NYPD detectives and staff from the Manhattan district attorney's office travelled to Altoona to interview Mangione, Kenny said.

Thompson, 50, was killed last Wednesday as he walked alone to a hotel, where UnitedHealthcare's parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was holding its annual investor conference, police said.

UnitedHealth Group thanked law enforcement in a statement Monday. "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," a company spokesperson said.

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