Chilling New Details Emerge About How Insurance CEO Executioner 'Obtained' Ghost-Gun Via 'Black-Market Operator'
Mangione is accused of using a 3-D printed gun to kill CEO Brian Thompson.
Jan. 9 2025, Published 2:15 p.m. ET
Alleged CEO shooter Luigi Mangione was able to build his murder weapon thanks to directions he obtained from a "3-D black-market operator" he found on the internet, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The chilling crime has been celebrated by some people in 3D-printed gun circles.
Mangione allegedly shot the healthcare CEO in the back in New York City.
Mangione was said to have used a 3D-printed "ghost gun" for the murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson.
According to gun rights group Defense Distributed, a rival group known as Gatalog, which publishes designs for 3D-printed guns and accessories online, provided the files and instructions Mangione needed to complete his weapon and silencer.
Defense Distributed is currently in a lawsuit battle with Gatalog, alleging them of illegally trafficking digital firearms information that Defense Distributed handles legally.
The lawsuit labels Gatalog as a "full-fledged criminal racketeering enterprise."
The suit slams: "The Gatalog is a black-market operator in the worst sense, achieving its illegal ends with dangerously illegal means of criminal wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, and even threatened murder, stealing business from Defense Distributed – the only firm serious enough to do the work legally – and distorting an otherwise thriving and compliance market in digital firearms information."
The 26-year-old was said to have the 'homemade' gun and silencer used in the crime on his person when captured.
The lawsuit claims Gatalog celebrated and promoted their supposed role in Mangione's alleged act.
Other experts said it shouldn't have been hard for the Ivy League-educated Mangione, who already had a tech background, to use online files to print his own piece.
Matt Schroeder, a senior researcher for the Small Arms Survey, told the New York Times: "3-D-printed weapons can be fabricated and assembled by individuals with little or no technical expertise.
"3-D-printed weapons have not yet supplanted factory-built weapons in criminal circles, but if and when they do, we will have to completely rethink our approach to small arms control."
Mangione has had fans celebrating his actions.
Mangione is accused of using a "ghost gun", a potentially untraceable weapon that can be assembled at home from scratch or through weapon parts kits.
The 26-year-old was busted in an Altoona, Pennsylvania McDonald's with a backpack that stored a "ghost gun" and silencer. According to police, both the weapon and silencer were made using a 3D printer plus readily available metal parts, leading to fears these types of "homemade" weapons will be used more often in crimes.
In 2022, federal officials recovered more than 25,000 homemade guns, and earlier this year President Joe Biden established an Emerging Firearms Threats Task Force with an executive order, aiming to fight back against unregistered 3D-printed guns.
Guns similar to the ones Mangione is suspected of using in the crime are relatively cheap, with one site selling a 3D printer starter kit for around $300. This includes the blueprints for a .22 caliber pistol and filament - the material the printer uses.
Thompson was CEO of UnitedHealth.
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Along with several fake IDs, the "ghost gun" and a silencer, Mangione was also busted with a handwritten "manifesto" detailing his grievances against healthcare insurance companies.
The manifesto reportedly stated: "It had to be done. These parasites had it coming. I don't want to cause any trauma, but it had to be done."
Mangione has been charged with first-degree murder along with other charges, including two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as a killing in the act of terrorism.
He is also facing charges of possessing weapons and forged instruments.
