The person charged in the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting had a ton of tech connections

Before authorities found him near Altoona, Pennsylvania, Luigi Mangione had extensive experience in video game development and was a startup founder.

Mangione, who most recently worked as a data scientist at California-based car-buying platform TrueCar, was arrested on Monday as a suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Later that day, he was charged in Pennsylvania with five offenses, including forgery and unlicensed firearm possession; and in Manhattan with murder, forgery and three firearms offenses, according to court records and reporting. 

The shooting in midtown Manhattan last Wednesday, just near the site of parent company UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference, led to a manhunt involving several law enforcement agencies, including the New York and Atlanta police departments.

Mangione’s alleged actions inspired a mix of outrage, venting of frustrations with the healthcare system and support for the 26-year-old. His arrest also put a spotlight on various details about his life, including his personal and professional intersections with tech in the mid-Atlantic.

Here’s what we know about Mangione’s connections to the tech world.

A Baltimore valedictorian who was interested in AI

In 2016, Mangione graduated as valedictorian from the private high school Gilman School, according to the Baltimore Fishbowl, which he told of his interest in studying AI.

Gilman’s headmaster Henry Smyth confirmed Mangione’s attendance with the Baltimore Banner.

“Luigi Mangione’s suspected involvement in this case is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation,” reads a statement Gilman marketing and communications director Stacy Hedeman sent to Technical.ly. “Our hearts go out to everyone affected. Here on campus, our focus will remain on caring for and educating our students.”

The Banner also noted Mangione’s family’s wealth and influence, including his grandfather’s various interests in property development, nursing homes and media; his grandmother’s philanthropy; and his cousin Nino Mangione’s current tenure as a Republican state delegate. 

The legislator issued a statement on behalf of the Mangione family, saying they were “devastated by this news.” 

“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione,” read the statement, which Del. Mangione published to his Facebook late Monday. “We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest.  We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.”

A gaming startup founder and game development programmer

Mangione has been working in tech roles since 2014, first as a cofounder and lead programmer for AppRoar Studios, a gaming app development company in Baltimore.

He also held dual internships as a robotics researcher at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering and a UI programming intern at Baltimore County-based game development studio Firaxis Games.

Alan Lewis, vice president of corporate communications and public affairs at Firaxis’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive, told Technical.ly it does not comment on former employees.

TrueCar, which is Mangione’s most recently listed employer, told Technical.ly he hasn’t worked there since last year.

“We can confirm that Luigi Mangione has not been an employee of our company since 2023,” a TrueCar spokesperson said.

Studying video games at Penn

Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science, according to his LinkedIn.

While in college, Mangione was a teaching assistant and the head of the recitation committee at Penn. He also founded and led the UPenn Game Research and Development Environment (UPGRADE), according to his LinkedIn. The program, featured in Penn Engineering magazine in 2022, was a weekly club where students came together on video game development projects. 

In a 2018 Penn Today article — which by Monday afternoon appeared to have been taken offline — Mangione explained how the club began as a way to bring people together interested in game development. 

“A lot of people ask us, ‘I don’t code; can I be part of game development?’ And we’re like, ‘Yes, please—we have a lot of programmers, and need people who aren’t,’” Mangione told the publication at the time. “It’s cool because if you think about game development, you have a team of 10, maybe with four programmers, two designers, three artists, a musician, and a writer, all from different majors and parts of the school who can be interested.”

A Penn spokesperson confirmed to Technical.ly that a student by the name of Luigi Mangione graduated from the university with a bachelor’s in mathematics and a master’s in computer and information science in May 2020. Penn did not confirm if UPGRADE is still an active club at the school. 

An AI teacher in California

Mangione also spent a brief stint in California as a head counselor and artificial intelligence teaching assistant at Stanford University.

Stanford University confirmed to Technical.ly that “a person by the name of Luigi Mangione was employed as a head counselor under the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies program between May and September of 2019,” and did not provide further comment.

How was he captured?

A McDonald’s employee tipped off authorities after Mangione stopped at the Altoona restaurant to eat. 

According to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, Mangione had an untraceable gun in his possession at the time of the arrest. The so-called “ghost gun” may have been 3D printed, and police say they will know more about the weapon after ballistics testing. 

“The information we’re getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun that may have been made on a 3D printer, capable of firing a 9mm round,” Kenny said.

Police believe Mangione acted alone, Kenny said. A handwritten document found at the time of the arrest expresses “ill will” toward corporate America, Kenny said, but no specific threats to other people. The investigation is ongoing, Kenny said. On Tuesday afternoon, Mangione is supposed to appear at a hearing to assess if he will be extradited to New York City.

Updated Dec. 10 with new information.