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The Latest: Gun on suspect matches shell casings found at the crime scene, per NYPD commissioner

The gun found on the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson matches shell casings found at the crime scene, New York鈥檚 police commissioner said Wednesday.
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Suspect Luigi Mangione is taken into the Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pa. (Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

The gun found on the suspect in the matches shell casings found at the crime scene, New York鈥檚 police commissioner said Wednesday.

Commissioner Jessica Tisch also said lab results matched suspect 鈥檚 prints to a water bottle and protein bar wrapper found near the scene of the killing.

Little new information has come out about a possible motive, though hint at a hatred of corporate greed. He remains jailed in Pennsylvania.

Here's the latest:

More like domestic terrorism than vigilantism?

Regina Bateson, an assistant political science professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has studied vigilantism, the term to which Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro alluded. She doesn鈥檛 see this case as a good fit for the word, she says, because the victim wasn鈥檛 linked to any specific crime or offense. As she sees it, it鈥檚 more akin to domestic terrorism.

But Bateson views the threats , and ticking up 鈥 plus the against President-elect Donald Trump this past summer 鈥 as possible signs that personal grievances or political agendas could erupt.

鈥淎mericans are voicing more support for 鈥 or at least understanding of 鈥 political violence,鈥 she said.

The suspect is being cast by some as a romantic figure

Little new information is available about a possible motive, though writings found in Mangione鈥檚 possession hinted at a vague hatred of corporate greed and an expression of anger toward 鈥減arasitic鈥 health insurance companies.

That detail came after earlier clues showed some 鈥渄eny,鈥 鈥渄efend鈥 and 鈥渄epose,鈥 reflecting words used by insurance industry critics. A number of the posts combine an apparent disdain for health insurers 鈥 with no mention of the loss of life 鈥 with a vague attempt at what .

鈥淗e took action against private health insurance corporations is what he did. he was a brave italian martyr. in this house, luigi mangione is a hero, end of story!鈥 one anonymous person said in a post on X that has nearly 2 million views.

Arguments over whether suspect is a 鈥榟ero鈥 offer a glimpse into an unusual American moment

Is he a hero? A killer? Both?

About the same time the #FreeLuigi memes featuring the mustachioed plumber from 鈥淪uper Mario Brothers鈥 mushroomed online this week, commenters shared memes showing Tony Soprano pronouncing , the man charged with , a hero.

There were the posts lionizing Mangione鈥檚 physique and appearance, the ones speculating about who could play him on 鈥淪aturday Night Live,鈥 and the ones denouncing and even threatening people at a Pennsylvania McDonald鈥檚 for spotting him and calling police.

It was all too much for Pennsylvania鈥檚 governor, a rising Democrat who was nearly the vice presidential nominee this year. Josh Shapiro decried what he saw as growing support for 鈥渧igilante justice.鈥

As with so many American events at this moment, the case of Brian Thompson and Luigi Mangioni has both captivated and polarized a media-saturated nation.

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NYPD matches shell casings in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing to gun found on suspect

The gun found on the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare鈥檚 CEO matches shell casings found at the crime scene, New York鈥檚 police commissioner said Wednesday.

Commissioner Jessica Tisch also said lab results matched suspect Luigi Mangione鈥檚 prints to a water bottle and protein bar wrapper found near the scene of the killing.

Authorities believe the suspect took steps to stay off the radar after the shooting

Prosecutors said at his Pennsylvania hearing Tuesday that when arrested, Mangione had bags for his cellphone and laptop that prevent such devices from transmitting signals authorities can use to track them.

Luigi Mangione remains jailed without bail in Pennsylvania

He鈥檚 charged there with gun and forgery offenses.

Manhattan prosecutors were working to bring him to New York, where he faces a murder charge in last week鈥檚 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Authorities have said writings found in Mangione鈥檚 possession hinted at a hatred of corporate greed.

Authorities are analyzing a fingerprint on a cellphone found in their investigation

The New York Police Department鈥檚 top detective, Joseph Kenny, told CBS New York on Tuesday that no prints were found on the bullets that killed , but there was one fingerprint on a cellphone that was recovered.

He said the evidence was being processed and he didn鈥檛 say whether it appeared to match Mangione.

Investigators find a spiral notebook the suspect described in a letter, official says

Among the items recovered by investigators was a spiral notebook, a law enforcement official said.

described the notebook in a three-page handwritten letter police in Pennsylvania found when they arrested him, writing that it would contain clues about the attack.

鈥淭he spiral notebook, if present, has some straggling notes and To Do lists that illuminate the gist of it,鈥 Mangione wrote, according to the official.

The law enforcement official was not authorized to disclose information about the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

鈥 Michael R. Sisak

What did Mangione post online?

An X account linked to Mangione includes recent posts about the negative effect of smartphones on children; healthy eating and exercise habits; psychological theories; and a quote from Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti about the dangers of becoming 鈥渨ell-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.鈥

What evidence has been gathered?

In addition to a three-page, handwritten document that suggests he harbored 鈥渋ll will toward corporate America,鈥 NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny has said Mangione also had a type of weapon that can be assembled at home and is difficult to trace.

Officers questioned Mangione, who was acting suspiciously and carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Officers also found a sound suppressor, or silencer, 鈥渃onsistent with the weapon used in the murder,鈥 she said.

He 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, the commissioner said.

Mangione struggled with back pain

Mangione had severe back pain from childhood that interfered with many aspects of his life, according to Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for a 鈥渃o-living鈥 space in Honolulu where the suspect lived in 2022.

Mangione left Surfbreak to get surgery on the mainland, Ryan said, then later returned to Honolulu and rented an apartment. An image posted to a social media account linked to Mangione showed what appeared to be an X-ray of a metal rod and multiple screws inserted into someone鈥檚 lower spine.

Mangione was born into a life of country clubs and privilege

His grandfather was a self-made real estate developer and philanthropist.

鈥淥ur family is shocked and devastated by Luigi鈥檚 arrest,鈥 Mangione鈥檚 family said in a statement posted on social media late Monday by his cousin, Maryland Del. Nino Mangione. 鈥淲e offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.鈥

From January to June 2022, Luigi Mangione lived at Surfbreak, a 鈥渃o-living鈥 space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Honolulu. Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for owner and founder R.J. Martin, said he was widely considered a 鈥済reat guy,鈥 though he had long dealt with severe back pain that interfered with many aspects of his life.

Where do things stand now?

Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Mangione mostly stared straight ahead during Tuesday's hearing in Pennsylvania, occasionally consulting papers, rocking in his chair, or looking back at the gallery. At one point, he began to speak to respond to the court discussion but was quieted by his lawyer.

Judge David Consiglio denied bail to Mangione, whose attorney, Thomas Dickey, told the court his client did not agree to extradition and wants a hearing on the matter.

Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said that although Mangione will create 鈥渆xtra hoops鈥 for law enforcement to jump through by fighting extradition, it won鈥檛 be a substantial barrier to sending him to New York.

The Associated Press