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We’re beginning to learn more about Luigi Mangione, the shooting suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. On Monday morning, Mangione was detained inside of a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after an employee tipped off police.
After detaining Mangione, police found money, several fake IDs, a pistol, and a silencer, which they believe was used in the shooting of Thompson.
According to his former roommate RJ Martin, Mangione had been dealing with back issues and eventually had to get back surgery in 2023.
Via NY Times
Martin said that when Mangione moved into their Honolulu space in 2022, he mentioned his back issues and said he was hoping to get as healthy as possible in advance of a major back operation. “His spine was kind of misaligned,” Martin said. “He said his lower vertebrae were almost like a half-inch off, and I think it pinched a nerve. Sometimes he’d be doing well and other times not.”
Martin said that the younger man eventually did get spinal surgery in 2023. But when Martin asked via text how it had gone, Mangione had replied, “long story” and did not elaborate. They last texted in April, he said, and promised to catch up via phone, but did not. “Yo! You awake? “ Martin said he texted in late May. Then on June 23: “Where in the world are you?”
Martin would tell CNN that Mangione said to him that he didn’t date women because he was unable to get physically intimate with them due to his back pain.
“He knew that dating and being physically intimate with his back condition wasn’t possible. I remember him telling me that, and my heart just breaks.”
R.J. Martin lived in shared quarters with UnitedHealthcare murder suspect Luigi Mangione in Hawaii.
He said Mangione had a misaligned spine, per the NYT.
“He knew that dating and being physically intimate with his back condition wasn’t possible.”pic.twitter.com/i3EFtinb3m
— Julianna Frieman (@JuliannaFrieman) December 10, 2024
Other friends of the shooting suspect have reportedly come forward to say that they believe Mangione had gone “crazy” following back surgery before going missing.
As of now, it’s currently unclear why Mangione targeted Thompson, but it seems like we’re getting closer to understanding why he committed the crime.