NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect in last week’s fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown, is fighting extradition back to Manhattan to face murder and other charges, as new details emerge about potential motives in the killing and law enforcement's growing concern over online sympathizers.
HERE’S THE LATEST:
2:15 PM -- NYPD says shell casings match suspect's gun
The gun found on Luigi Mangione in the killing of United Healthcare’s CEO matched shell casings found near the site of the Manhattan shooting, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at an unrelated news conference.
“We got the gun in question back from Pennsylvania, it’s now at the NYPD crime lab,” Tisch said. “We were able to match that gun to the three shell casings that we found in Midtown at the scene of the homicide.”
“We were also able at our crime lab to match the person of interest’s fingerprints with fingerprints that we found on both the water bottle and the KIND bar near the scene of the homicide,” the commissioner added, confirming earlier reports about the fingerprint match.
10:30 AM – Investigators reportedly believe fingerprints a match
Luigi Mangione’s fingerprints appear to match those found on items near the scene in Midtown where United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed last Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that prints recovered from a water bottle and a cellphone appear to match Mangione's, even though they were smudged.
It would be the first forensic match tying Mangione to the murder scene outside the New York Hilton on West 54th Street.
Thompson was gunned down by a hooded and masked shooter around 6:45 a.m. as he headed to an investors’ conference at the hotel, leading to the five-day manhunt that ended in Mangione's arrest on Monday.
Mangione’s attorney, Thomas Dickey, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the defense hasn’t seen any evidence against his client.
“We've seen no evidence,” Dickey said. “That's why we're challenging the extradition at this point, so we can see some evidence and get a little more detailed information about the charges against Luigi.”
9:30 AM – NYPD bulletin warns of ‘hit list’ against health care CEOs
An NYPD bulletin obtained by ABC News warned of a heightened risk environment for health care executives, as Brian Thompson’s death has been celebrated by many online.
The department reportedly encouraged companies to increase security for their execs, as Luigi Mangione could be viewed as a “martyr” by some and has the “capability to inspire a variety of extremists and grievance-driven malicious actors to violence.”
The bulletin comes as “wanted” posters featuring CEOs have appeared in Manhattan, including near the New York Stock Exchange, with messages like “Wall Street CEOs Should Not Feel Safe.” The source of the posters hasn't been identified.
The bulletin cited posts on social media expressing disdain for the health care industry and sympathy with the killing of Thompson, as well as threatening sentiments about industry leaders. One viral "hit list" features the names and salaries of eight top insurance execs, according to the bulletin.
9 AM – Notebook on suspect allegedly mentioned ‘targeted’ plans
A notebook found with Luigi Mangione at the time of his arrest allegedly mentions a plan for a “targeted, precise” killing of a CEO, law enforcement sources told the New York Times amid multiple reports Wednesday.
Writings in the notebook reportedly described going to a “bean-counter” conference, with one passage allegedly reasoning: “What do you do? You wack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention. It’s targeted, precise, and doesn’t risk innocents.”
In addition to the notebook, Mangione was allegedly carrying a three-page, handwritten document expressing anger with what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed and power, a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press said.
He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world and that profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin.