THE UnitedHealthcare CEO killer left cops dumbfounded before his eventual capture – thanks to a ghost gun.
Luigi Mangione, currently held in Pennsylvania without bail, is the prime suspect in the brutal killing of Brian Thompson in Manhattan last week.
MASSIVE PROBLEMS
He is resisting being sent back to New York City to face second-degree murder charges following a dramatic five-day pursuit that concluded at a McDonalds restaurant in Pennsylvania on Monday.
Although his attorney insists there is no evidence connecting Mangione to the crime, law enforcement officers discovered a ghost gun, a silencer, multiple counterfeit IDs, and a three-page handwritten document.
Peter Forcelli, a former federal agent and whistleblower in Barack Obama’s botched attempt to stop firearms falling into the hands of Mexican cartels, told The U.S. Sun earlier this year about his fears over President Joe Biden’s “lazy” attempt to curb ghost gun usage.
The former ATF deputy assistant director wants criminal – not guns – dealt with to curb violence on the streets.
The firearm that was built by the alleged perpetrator, from parts probably purchased online or in the black market with the help of a 3D printer, proved impossible to track and severely hindered the search process.
Problems arise as the cops have no serial numbers or any purchase trace. Investigators lose crucial leads, such as identifying the manufacturer, the place, and when the item was bought.
Anyone can build them using unregulated, unfinished frames or receivers—the pieces that contain the firing mechanism.
OWNERSHIP ISSUES
Cops were up against it from the very start, and Forcelli told The U.S. Sun that because a ghost gun was used, authorities were led down a “dead end” in their search for Thompson’s killer.
“With the identification pathways gone, it makes it much harder to establish how the firearm changed hands or how it ended up in the suspect’s possession,” he said.
Under US law, people are permitted to make a gun and not place a serial number on them.
Ownership and usage of ghost guns vary between states. But it is a felony in New York to own one.
Further problems occur, however, with laws varying between states and officials needing to realize which ones pertain to the cases they are dealing with.
Forcelli says authorities will hammer the killer with extra charges as a result.
According to Pennsylvania authorities, the pistol had a plastic handle, a metal slide, and a threaded metal barrel.
“In New York, possessing a pistol with a threaded barrel, a silencer, or an unserialized firearm is a felony. Those offenses would compound the murder charges and affect the final sentencing,” added Forcelli, a former NYPD homicide cop.
COMPLICATED PATCHWORK SYSTEM
He was at pains to point out, however, that the fragmented nature of gun laws in the United States creates a multitude of headaches for authorities desperate to curb violence on the streets.
Silencers, like the one used in the brazen killing, have to, according to the expert, be registered with the ATF, and a transfer tax must be paid.
“Whether this individual complied with those regulations, I don’t know,” Forcelli continued. “And here’s the thing—those records are confidential. The ATF would be the only authority that knows whether he followed the process to obtain a silencer legally.”
The number of ghost guns recovered by law enforcement in the United States has surged dramatically in recent years, increasing by 398% between 2016 and 2020.
Over those five years, approximately 24,000 were confiscated by police.
“This patchwork system complicates enforcement,” said Forcelli, who is a cancer survivor, having battled the disease as a result of a heroic effort to help aid the 9/11 rescue effort. “In contrast, countries like Canada have a unified approach to firearm regulations, which makes compliance and enforcement more straightforward.”
Who is Luigi Mangione?
MANGIONE, 26, was regarded as a beloved, clever and wealthy man by his family, friends and all who knew him.
He was born and raised in Maryland, where he was valedictorian of his high school graduating class at Gilman School in Baltimore.
He had no prior criminal history and was said to have been a model student, soccer player, and all-round athlete at high school.
One former student from the Gilman School told The U.S. Sun Mangione was “popular” and had a “big circle of friends.”
“We went to the same school but didn’t really have the same friends. I’m really shocked by this whole thing,” the former student, who asked not to be identified, said.
“I think he played soccer, it was an all-boys school, so being a good athlete got you social currency for sure.”
After, Mangione graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied computer and information science, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He also got his masters from the Ivy League school.
Mangione was reportedly a data engineer at a car company in California before moving to Hawaii.
His cousin is also Republican Maryland House of Delegates member Nino Mangione.
President Biden’s efforts to address the issue of ghost guns reached the U.S. Supreme Court for the first time in April, with a follow-up hearing originally scheduled for October. However, that hearing never materialized.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) proposed requiring serial numbers and background checks for buyers of ghost guns.
These measures faced significant opposition from gun owners, as well as organizations like the Firearms Policy Coalition and the Second Amendment Foundation.
Still, such regulations might have prevented this tragic incident altogether.
“There hasn’t been significant progress on that front,” Forcelli sighed.
“The Supreme Court hasn’t fully weighed in on the relevant limitations or clarifications. So, as it stands under federal law, a person can legally manufacture a firearm for personal use without a serial number.
“Possessing such a gun in itself isn’t a crime under federal law.”
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced on Wednesday that the three shell casings recovered at the scene of Thompson’s shooting matched the firearm found in Mangione’s possession at the time of his arrest.
Additionally, Mangione’s fingerprints were discovered on a water bottle and a snack located near the spot where 50-year-old Thompson was killed.
Mangione has received sympathy across various social media platforms and has even been labeled a “hero” by ghoulish fans.
Timeline of Brian Thompson’s murder
BRIAN Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot to death in Manhattan in an execution-like killing.
Here is everything we know about Thompson’s murder so far.
Monday, December 2 – Thompson travels from his home in Minnesota to New York City for an investor conference in Midtown Manhattan.
Wednesday, December 4, 6:45 am – Thompson walks from his hotel across the street to the New York Hilton Midtown and is murdered by a masked shooter. The execution was caught on surveillance, and the suspect was seen biking away toward Central Park. Cops spark a citywide search for the assassin.
11:30 am – Cops released disturbing images of the execution, offered a reward for information, and made a desperate plea for New Yorkers to keep their eyes out.
12:00 pm – Thompson’s estranged wife Paulette revealed her husband had been threatened before he was shot.
2:45 pm – Cops released more eerie images of the suspect ordering at Starbucks that partially revealed his face. The U.S. Sun confirmed the coffee shop was just two blocks away from the shooting, but it’s unclear when he stopped by.
December 5, 6 am – Reports claim the words “deny,” “dispose,” and “defend” were engraved on live rounds and shell casings left behind by the assassin. These words echo the book Delay, Deny, Defend, which is about the failings of the healthcare industry. The author of the book had no comment on the reports.
8 am– Cops raid a hostel in the Upper West Side of New York City where the suspect is said to have stayed. It’s believed he wore a mask for most of the time he was there.
11 am – A person of interest in Thompson’s murder is pictured. He’s wearing a hood in the photo, but his full face could be seen breaking into a beaming grin. Still, no arrests have been made in the investigation.
Afternoon – Law enforcement confirms the suspect arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus on November 24. It’s also confirmed that the suspect dropped a burner cell phone near the scene of the shooting.
December 6, 3 pm – Police announce they believe the killer has left New York City via interstate bus. They release more surveillance footage that shows him taking a taxi to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.
December 9 – Luigi Mangione, 26, is arrested as a “strong person of interest” at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was carrying a three-page manifesto, fake IDs, and a gun similar to the one used in Thompson’s murder.
Mangione was arrested on Monday and swiftly charged withThompson’s.
Photos showed Mangione munching on a McDonald’s hash brown minutes before cops swooped in and handcuffed him.
He appeared in court for the first time on Monday evening for an arraignment on gun and forgery charges.
New York prosecutors also later filed second-degree murder charges against Mangione for the December 4 assassination of Thompson.
He now faces two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in New York.
Mangione’s attorney, Thomas Dickey, has repeatedly preached his client’s innocence and claims he hasn’t seen any evidence that Mangione is “the right guy.”
When he was hauled back into court on Tuesday, Mangione was seen unleashing a frantic outburst at anyone within earshot while cops dragged him inside the building.
He screamed that the situation was “out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people.”
At least three deputies grabbed Mangione, clutching him by his neck as they shoved him into the Blair County Courthouse in Pennsylvania, where his appeal for bail was denied.
It comes as cops are continuing to look into a number of leads on motive following Mangione’s capture.
One of the theories behind why he may have become a killer involves his pals claiming he turned “absolutely crazy” after an agonizing back surgery.
X-ray pictures posted by Mangione show he suffered from a misaligned spine, which was reportedly made severely worse following a surfing accident.
Former classmates claimed that an operation went wrong and that this could have driven the Maryland man to the brink.
