A San Francisco police officer was recognized this week as Officer of the Month for aiding in the capture of the man suspected of fatally shooting a health care company CEO in New York City in December.  

Sgt. Michael Horan of the San Francisco Police Department’s special victims unit was commended at City Hall for his help in identifying Luigi Mangione, 26, who is suspected in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024.  

Thompson was shot in Midtown Manhattan as he headed to an investors meeting at a hotel. A search for the suspect ensued and investigators eventually identified Mangione as the alleged trigger man. 

During that time, Sgt. Joseph Siragusa, Sgt. Jeff Chow and Horan were assisting a family in Baltimore with their missing son, Mangione, according to police. 

Mangione was reported missing in November 2024 but had not been heard from since July.  

Horan worked with the family to review Mangione’s social media accounts and noticed a resemblance between the suspect from the Thompson case and the photos on Mangione’s pages. 

“Sgt. Horan immediately discussed his suspicions with his colleagues and supervisors,” San Francisco police said in a news release Thursday.  

According to police, Horan then contacted the lead FBI agent handling the case and forwarded Mangione’s information. 

By Dec. 6, the FBI was interviewing Mangione’s family and realized that their findings aligned with the missing persons unit’s initial observation, police said.   

On Dec. 9, Mangione was spotted at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania and was taken into custody.  The FBI later confirmed that Mangione was the murder suspect. 

“The success of the investigation was due in part to the diligent work of the Missing Persons Unit, which utilized classic police techniques to identify Mangione and forward the critical information to the right authorities,” San Francisco police said.  “Their swift action and thorough investigation were instrumental in solving this case.  We congratulate them on their outstanding work.” 

Other officers honored Wednesday were Casey Chow, Anthony Quimbo and Sgt. Anthony Flores.  

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.