Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro issued a blistering condemnation of the suspect accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in cold blood.
Shapiro railed against the suspect, 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione, in remarks at a Monday press conference after Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
“The suspect here is a coward, not a hero,” Shapiro said.
The governor spoke out against “vigilante justice” and rebuked those who have praised the slaying of Thompson “in some dark corners” of the internet.
LUIGI MANGIONE, ALLEGED UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO KILLER, CHARGED WITH MURDER IN NEW YORK
A photo obtained by Fox News Digital shows murder suspect Luigi Mangione. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
“In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint,” Shapiro said.
His remarks came hours after a six-day manhunt for Thompson’s killer came to an end at a McDonald’s in Altoona.
UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER SUSPECT ARRESTED AT PENNSYLVANIA MCDONALD’S
Gov. Josh Shapiro arrives for a press conference regarding the arrest of Luigi Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (David Dee Delgado for Fox News Digital)
Mangione, a 26-year-old software developer, was taken into custody by rookie Altoona Police Officer Tyler Frye after an employee and a customer at the McDonald’s recognized the suspect from wanted posters.
When officers approached Mangione – who was wearing a mask and a beanie and working on a laptop in the back of the restaurant – and asked him to remove his face covering, they recognized him as the suspect wanted for questioning in Thompson’s murder.
WHO IS LUIGI MANGIONE, SUSPECT IN UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER?
Luigi Mangione was taken into custody in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday morning in connection with the ambush murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City. (Luigi Mangione/Facebook)
During that encounter, he allegedly handed over a fake ID, gave a phony name and “became quiet and started to shake” when asked if he had recently been to New York.
He was also allegedly in possession of writings criticizing the healthcare industry, and a ghost gun similar to the one believed to have been used to kill Thompson.
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Altoona police initially took Mangione into custody on charges unrelated to Thompson’s murder – possession of an unlicensed firearm, providing false identification to police and forgery.
He has since been charged with murder in New York, according to online court records.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.
