Luigi Mangione latest: UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect’s mom realized son might be CEO shooter one day before arrest

Luigi Mangione’s mother reportedly spoke to FBI officials the day before he was arrested in Pennsylvania on suspicion of murdering the CEO of a health insurance giant after federal authorities received a tip.

According to the New York Post, a police officer in San Francisco recognized the suspect in surveillance photographs being circulated by New York City police. Mangione’s parents had filed a missing persons report with the San Francisco Police Department in November, after he reportedly went on a solo trip to Asia, apparently without telling them where he was.

The tip reportedly came in four days before the parents were contacted.

Michelle Del Rey has the story.

Luigi Mangione was not insured by UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, told NBC News.

The update comes after police said that there was “no indication” that Mangione was registered with UnitedHealthcare, whose CEO was murdered on December 4 in Midtown Manhattan.

“We have no indication that he was ever a client of United Healthcare, but he does make mention that it is the fifth-largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest health care organization in America,” Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York. “So that’s possibly why he targeted that company,” Kenny said.

Investigators are still looking into a motive and have said that he suffered from debilitating back pain.

New York Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told CBS News that she believes Americans view health insurance companies denying their claims as an “act of violence.”

“I think that this collective American experience, which is so twisted to have in the wealthiest nation in the world, all of that pain that people have experienced is being concentrated on this event. And it’s really important that we take a step back,” the Democrat said Thursday.

“This is not to comment and this is not to say that an act of violence is justified, but I think for anyone who is confused or shocked or appalled, they need to understand that people interpret and feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them,” she continued.

Luigi Mangione has been charged with murder in connection to the death of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside his Manhattanhotel on December 4.

Mangione, 26, was spotted eating a meal inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday morning, with an employee calling the tip into police.

He is currently being held in a Pennsylvania jail without bond as he awaits extradition to New York where he faces a murder charge. He also faces charges for gun law violations in Pennsylvania.

Thompson, 50, was shot dead on December 4 outside the New York Hilton Midtown. That launched a massive manhunt for the suspect who eluded police for nearly a week.

The CEO of UnitedHealth Group, the parent company to UnitedHealthcare, admitted that the US health system “doesn’t work as well as it should”.

Writing in a New York Times op-ed on Friday morning, Andrew Witty lamented the loss of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of United Healthcare, and addressed the US’s “patchwork” healthcare system.

The health insurance executive also wrote that he understood people’s frustrations with the health care system.

“We know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people’s frustrations with it,” he wrote. “No one would design a system like the one we have. And no one did. It’s a patchwork built over decades.”

He continued: “Our mission is to help make it work better. We are willing to partner with anyone, as we always have – health care providers, employers, patients, pharmaceutical companies, governments and others – to find ways to deliver high-quality care and lower costs.

“Clearly, we are not there yet. We understand and share the desire to build a health care system that works better for everyone. That is the purpose of our organization.”

The McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania who called in the tip that led to the arrest of Luigi Mangione is eligible for law enforcement’s $60,000 reward — but he may not collect it for a while.

The manhunt for the masked gunman suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 came to an end after six days when Larry, a McDonald’s employee, called 911, saying he recognized a customer nibbling on hashbrowns from the photos circulated by NYPD. Now, that worker is eligible to collect tens of thousands of dollars in reward money.

Mangione, 26, has been charged with second-degree murder in New York in connection to Thompson’s death. He also faces gun charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested.

The FBI was offering up to $50,000 and NYPD Crime Stoppers was offering $10,000 for information that led to an arrest or conviction.

December 4: The suspect set off from an Upper West Side hostel before dawn. He was seen on surveillance video walking back and forth at 54th Street and Sixth Avenue, near the Hilton Hotel where the UnitedHealthcare Group was holding its conference. After opening fire, the suspect fled by bike through Central Park before getting into a cab and was later spotted at a bus station. A manhunt ensued.

December 5: Investigators revealed a cryptic message carved onto the shell casings: “delay,” “deny” and “depose.” NYPD also released images of the suspect.

December 6: Police announce they believe the suspect has left New York City, expanding the desperate search. A backpack, thought to belong to the suspect, was found in Central Park and sent in for forensic testing. The now-viral “flirtatious” photo of the suspect speaking to a hostel worker was released.

December 7: NYPD releases another photo of the suspect, this time in the back of a taxi. The FBI also joined the hunt for the suspect, offering a $50,000 reward for information.

December 8: Although no leads on the suspect’s whereabouts were made public, investigators revealed the contents of the backpack included Monopoly money and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket.

December 9: A private service for Brian Thompson was held. Also that day, a McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania tipped recognized Mangione from the photos circulated by police. He was arrested in Pennsylvania on gun charges and hours later faced a murder charge in New York.

UnitedHealth Group, the parent company to UntiedHealthcare, said that Luigi Mangione was not a customer of the health insurance company.

There is no record that the 26-year-old shooting suspect was ever insured by the company, UnitedHealth Group told NBC News.

Police also confirmed that there is “no indication” that Mangione was registered with UnitedHealthcare, whose CEO was murdered on December 4 in Midtown Manhattan.

“We have no indication that he was ever a client of United Healthcare, but he does make mention that it is the fifth-largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest health care organization in America,” Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York.

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, the top New York attorney tasked with representing Mangione is married to Marc Agnifilo who is heading Sean “Diddy” Combs’ criminal defense.

She was retained after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Mangione may stop resisting his extradition to New York, where he faces a murder charge. The suspect is currently being held in a Pennsylvania jail without bond after he was arrested at a McDonald’s on Monday.

Diddy has been accused of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes through the use of firearms and threats of violence.