Luigi Mangione's fingerprints and gun shell casings found at UnitedHealthcare CEO crime scene: NYPD

The 3D-printed gun recovered from the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week has been matched to shell casings found at the crime scene, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Wednesday.

Tisch further stated that fingerprints belonging to Luigi Mangione, the individual charged with the murder, matched prints found on a water bottle recovered near the scene.

"First, we got the gun in question back from Pennsylvania, it's now at the NYPD crime lab. We were able to match that gun to the three shell casings that we found in Midtown at the scene of the homicide," Tisch said. "We were also able in our crime lab to match the person of interest's fingerprints with fingerprints that we found on both the water bottle and the KIND bar near the scene of the homicide in Midtown."

Additionally, the NYPD reported finding a cellphone in an alley near the hotel with fingerprints that also matched, though further evidence analysis is pending.

Mangione was arrested on Monday in Pennsylvania on charges of forgery and firearms violations and is currently held without bail. He appeared in court on Tuesday and opposed extradition to New York, where he faces charges of second-degree murder.

The recovered firearm is the first piece of evidence directly connecting Mangione to the crime, while the fingerprints on the water bottle represent the initial forensic match placing him at the scene where Thompson was fatally shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel on December 4, according to sources.

Investigators are awaiting DNA test results from the water bottle.

Police also believe they have recovered a coffee cup possibly used by the suspect at a Manhattan Starbucks before the shooting and are analyzing it for fingerprints, a senior police source revealed.

Law enforcement sources said a notebook found with Mangione during his arrest contained writings about considering a bomb attack but opting for a shooting as it would be more targeted and avoid harming innocent people.