The family of Luigi Mangione, the former Gilman School valedictorian charged in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, say they are “shocked and devastated” by their family member’s arrest.
Baltimore County Del. Nino Mangione (R-District 42A), a cousin of Luigi, released a statement from the Mangione family on Tuesday morning.
“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. 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. We are devastated by this news,” the statement reads.
The delegate, who was scheduled to hold a fundraising event on Thursday at Hayfields Country Club, has postponed that event “until later at a more appropriate time,” he said in a separate Facebook post. The Mangione family own and operate Hayfields Country Club in Baltimore County, in addition to Turf Valley in Ellicott City.
“Because of the nature of this terrible situation involving my Cousin I do not believe it is appropriate to hold my fundraising event scheduled for this Thursday at Hayfields. I am going to postpone this event until later at a more appropriate time. My team will notify you of the new date. I want to thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support. My family and I are heartbroken and ask that you remember the family of Mr. Thompson in your prayers. Thank you,” Del. Mangione wrote in his Facebook post.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged 26-year-old Luigi Mangione with second-degree murder after police arrested him on Monday at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about two hours east of Pittsburgh.
Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed Wednesday at a Hilton hotel in New York City where UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was holding its annual investor conference, police said.
Luigi was the valedictorian of his 2016 graduating class at Gilman School, an all-boys private school in Baltimore. He went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at University of Pennsylvania, before moving to Honolulu, Hawaii.
Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to reflect that Altoona is west of Pittsburgh, not east.
