The manhunt for the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a shooting in the heart of Manhattan has now entered its third day, with the killer still at large.
With the gunman’s identity unknown and the motive still a mystery, authorities are trying to piece together the killer’s movements on Wednesday morning – and where he went next.
The suspect, a white male dressed in black with a gray backpack, was first recorded walking outside the Frederick Douglass Houses, a public housing project on the Upper West Side, as early as 5 a.m., according to ABC.
He was next recorded leaving the 57th Street F train stop before being sighted on a Starbucks security camera at West 56th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan approximately 30 minutes before Thompson’s death.
At approximately 6:19 a.m., he was recorded walking west down 55th Street, a block away from the New York Hilton Midtown, where Thomson was scheduled to speak at a conference.
Mapped: The suspect’s movements
The shooter was then spotted walking alone to the Hilton about five minutes before the victim arrived, police said.
The killer lay in wait before he opened fire outside the hotel at approximately 6:46 a.m, striking Thompson, 50, at point blank range in the back and right calf, the NYPD said.
After the attack, the suspect crossed the street near the Hilton Hotel and fled through an alleyway before hopping on an electric bike on 55th Street.
The gunman headed north on 6th Avenue towards Central Park, where he was last seen at 6:48 a.m. Video footage, obtained by CBS News, appears to show the suspect cycling out of the park on West 85th Street just before 7 a.m., according to the sources.
Police then obtained footage of the suspect arriving at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. However, they do not have footage of him leaving, indicating he may have taken a bus out of the city, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
Thompson was rushed to Mount Sinai West hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 7:12 a.m.
Ten days prior to the attack, the suspect is said to have traveled to New York City by a Greyhound bus which originated in Atlanta, law enforcements sources told CNN. It is not clear where the suspect got on the vehicle.
Surveillance footage shows the suspect getting off the bus in New York around 9 p.m. on November 24.
The suspect then took a cab to the HI New York City Hostel on Amsterdam Avenue near 104th Street in Manhattan, CNN reports. Investigators said he used a fake New Jersey ID to book a multi-person room, where he stayed with two other men.
The suspect was then was said to have checked out of the hostel on November 29, before once again checking back in on November 30
During his stay, the alleged killer shared a flirtatious moment with a female hostel worker, who asked him to pull down his mask.
The moment was captured on the hostel’s security cameras and shared on X by police on Thursday morning.
No arrests have been made as of Saturday afternoon, with the NYPD offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect. The FBI has also joined the investigation, offering $50,000 for information.
Kenny said the killing was “not a random act of violence” but was a “targeted attack.”
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News her husband received “some threats” threats prior to Wednesday’s shooting.
Detectives told CNN that the gunman’s slow, deliberate movements suggested that he has fired a weapon before and may have been in law enforcement or the military. Kenny said the suspect may have used a veterinary gun – large guns used by farmers to put down animals without making a loud noise.
Investigators are now honing in a series of clues they hope will help identify the killer including a cryptic message left behind at the scene. According to police sources to ABC News, the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend” were carved into some of the live rounds and shell casing left outside the Hilton hotel.
The suspect also appeared to drop a water bottle he had purchased from Starbucks and a cellphone in an alleyway when he fled. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Saturday that “the net is tightening” around the suspect as police gather DNA, fingerprints and other evidence.
He added that law enforcement officials do not want to release a suspect’s name at this time.
“If we do, we are basically giving a tip to the person we are seeking and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all,” Adams said. “Let him continue to believe he can hide behind the mask. We revealed his face. We’re going to reveal who he is and we’re going to bring him to justice.”
