Unitedhealthcare Shooting Suspect Linked To Nursing Home, Assisted Living Company 

The suspected shooter in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has family ties to a Maryland assisted living and skilled nursing provider.

Luigi Mangione is the 26-year-old suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. His grandfather, Nick Mangione Sr., founded Lorien Health Services, according to multiple news reports published Monday after the suspect was taken into custody.

Lorien is not commenting at this time, a spokesperson told Senior Housing News sister publication Skilled Nursing News.

Lorien was founded in 1977 “by the same family that continues to lead the company today,” according to Lorien’s website. The company is based in Ellicott City, Maryland, and operates six assisted living facilities and eight nursing homes across a total of nine locations, as well as hospice and personal at-home care through Lorien at Home.

Luigi Mangione volunteered with Lorien when in high school, The Baltimore Banner reported, citing a yearbook from the city’s Gilman School. Mangione graduated as valedictorian of the Gilman class of 2016, then went on to the University of Pennsylvania.

Lorien is not the only connection that the Mangione family has to the health care sector. The family has provided substantial financial support to the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, where the high-risk obstetrics unit is named for them, according to the Banner. The family’s foundation also has supported the Kennedy Krieger Institute, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center.

Nick Mangione Sr. had numerous other business ventures, including creating a sprawling resort and residential community in Howard County, Maryland.

Law enforcement officials reportedly found a handwritten document when they took Luigi Mangione into custody. That document mentions UnitedHealthcare explicitly and “broadly condemns health-care companies for placing profits over care,” according to a New York Times report.

Shell casings recovered after Thompson’s shooting were inscribed with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose.” These words echo the title of a 2010 book, “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.”

Mangione experienced severe back pain, for which he had surgery earlier this year, CNN reported.

Thompson was shot and killed in New York City on Dec. 4. Mangione was apprehended Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was arraigned in Pennsylvania and charged there with crimes that included falsely identifying himself to authorities and possessing “instruments of crime.” A gun and silencer, both of which appeared to be made by a 3-D printer, had been found in his backpack, according to the criminal complaint. Late on Monday, he was charged in New York with second-degree murder.

SHN reporter Andrew Christman also contributed to this story.

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