There is no indication that Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was ever insured by the insurer, police said on Thursday.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York that Mangione likely targeted Thompson due to the size of the company. Mangione was also aware that UnitedHealthcare was having its investor meeting when he allegedly shot Thompson, Kenny told NBC New York.
"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 healthcare organization in America. So that's possibly why he targeted that company," Kenny told NBC New York. "He had prior knowledge that the conference was taking place on that date, at that location."
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Kenny added that Mangione's 2023 back injury likely played a role in his thought process.
"It seems that he had an accident that caused him to go to the emergency room back in July of 2023, and that it was a life-changing injury," said Kenny. "He posted X-rays of screws being inserted into his spine. So the injury that he suffered was, was a life-changing, life-altering injury, and that's what may have put him on this path."
Mangione was arrested on Monday after being tied to last week's fatal shooting of Thompson. Authorities on Wednesday confirmed that the gun recovered in the arrest of Mangione was linked to shell casings found at the scene of the killing.
Mangione has been charged with murder, along with firearms and forgery offenses. He is currently being held in a state prison in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
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