FBI says tip from San Francisco police helped identify UnitedHealth CEO shooting suspect

SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Police Department provided a tip to the FBI that helped identify the suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson.

The tip came from the San Francisco Police Department to the FBI regarding the possible identity of the suspected shooter in the Dec. 4 incident in Manhattan. 

"Among multiple tips received by FBI New York from the public and law enforcement regarding the homicide in Midtown Manhattan on December 4, 2024, a tip was received from the San Francisco Police Department regarding the possible identity of the suspect. FBI New York conducted routine investigative activity and referred this and other leads to the New York City Police Department as part of our assistance to them in their investigation. Extensive sharing of the photos by law enforcement led to the identification by a citizen and subsequent arrest by the Altoona Police Department," the FBI said in a statement to KTVU.

Fox News reported that a San Francisco police investigator recognized Luigi Mangione from a wanted poster made by police after his mother reported him missing in November. 

San Francisco police informed federal investigators of this information before Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday.

The 26-year-old was found with a fake ID, and a ghost gun, Monopoly money, and writings criticizing the healthcare industry.

UNITEDHEALTH CEO DEATH

• UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione shouts as he enters courthouse
• Who is Luigi Mangione? Suspect in CEO killing investigation from prominent family
• Luigi Mangione: Former classmate lives in Arizona and says he's 'shocked'
• Man with Bay Area ties charged with murder in UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing: court records

The suspect has since pleaded not guilty to Thompson's murder and is facing extradition to New York from Pennsylvania.

Thompson was shot in the back on the morning of Dec. 4 in New York, where he was attending a conference. 

According to authorities, Mangione was born and raised in Maryland and that his last known address was Honolulu, Hawaii. 

A person with the same name briefly worked as a head counselor under the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies program from May to September 2019, the university confirmed.

Despite the charges including second-degree murder, support for Mangione is not going unnoticed online. A fundraiser for Mangione's legal fund reported thousands in donations.