As the manhunt for the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson intensifies, investigators believe he left New York City by bus.
The suspect was last seen on Wednesday taking a cab in Manhattan from the vicinity of 86th Street and Columbus Avenue to George Washington Bridge Bus Station near 178th Street and Broadway, Fox 9 News reported. There, police say, he likely boarded a bus.
“Those buses are interstate buses. That’s why we believe he may have left New York City,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters Friday.
New images of suspect
Over the weekend, police released two new images of the suspect wanted in connection with the fatal shooting.
One image appears to show the unidentified male suspect in the back seat of a taxi cab, wearing a blue surgical mask and dark hooded jacket. The other appears to show the same man on the street outside of the cab.
On Friday evening, police said they had found the distinctive backpack worn by the suspect in Central Park, the Associated Press reported. The backpack was sent to a forensics lab for testing, the New York Times reported. Police also found other items in the park, including clothing.
Earlier Friday, DNA samples from a cellphone and water bottle recovered at the scene were turned over to a lab for testing, according to CNN.
Officials are hopeful the new clues could help identify the suspect — described by police as a light-skinned male wearing a cream-colored jacket and carrying a gray backpack.
Thompson, 50, from Minnesota, was shot outside the New York Hilton in midtown Manhattan early Wednesday in what police said appeared to be a “brazen, targeted attack.” The suspected shooter fled from the scene.
Here’s what we know about the suspect’s movements so far:
Arrival in New York City
According to CNN, police believe the suspect arrived at New York City’s Port Authority bus terminal on a Greyhound bus on Nov. 24 — 10 days before the shooting. The bus originated in Atlanta, but it is unclear where the suspect boarded the bus before its arrival in New York.
The suspect then checked into the hostel on the Upper West Side using a fake New Jersey driver’s license, paid in cash and appeared to wear a mask throughout most of his stay.
The day of the killing
The suspect was seen on numerous surveillance cameras in midtown Manhattan on the morning of Thompson’s slaying:
6:15 a.m. ET: Suspect is seen leaving midtown subway station
Surveillance footage obtained by the Washington Post shows the suspect leaving midtown Manhattan’s 57th Street subway station at 6:15 a.m. ET.
6:17 a.m. ET: Suspect spotted inside the Starbucks on 56th Street
After leaving the station, the suspect is next seen at 6:17 a.m. ET inside a Starbucks coffee shop on Sixth Avenue.
6:20 a.m. ET: Suspect seen outside the Stage Star Deli on 55th Street
Security camera footage obtained by Yahoo News appears to show a person matching the description of the suspected shooter walking west on 55th Street — a block from the Hilton hotel where the attack took place — at about 6:20 a.m. The person in the video appears to pause and lean over a pile of trash bags on the sidewalk for a few seconds before continuing on.
6:39 a.m. ET: Suspect seen outside the Hilton
Police said the suspected shooter arrived at the scene on foot just minutes before Thompson showed up outside the Hilton Hotel.
6:46 a.m. ET: Thompson is shot by the suspect
The suspect approached Thompson from behind and shot him in the back and leg, police said. The gun appeared to be fitted with a silencer and seemed to jam, a law enforcement official told CNN, but the suspect was able to fix it and continued firing. Police responded to a 911 call at 6:47 a.m. ET. Thompson was transported to Mount Sinai West hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
6:48 a.m. ET: Suspect is seen entering Central Park
The suspected shooter headed north on foot before getting on a bicycle and riding toward Central Park.
6:56 a.m. ET: Suspect leaves on the bicycle at 77th Street
Shortly thereafter he abandons his bicycle near 86th Street and Columbus Avenue.
7:04 a.m. ET: Suspect gets into a taxi
He rides north from 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue to Port Authority bus depot in Upper Manhattan, arriving by 7:30 a.m. From there, police say, he takes a bus out of the city.
Surveillance photos released
🚨UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4. This does not appear to be a random act of violence; all indications are that it was a premediated, targeted attack.
The full investigative efforts of… pic.twitter.com/K3kzC4IbtS
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 5, 2024
Officials on Thursday released new surveillance photos showing a “person of interest wanted for questioning” about the shooting. The NYPD did not confirm to Yahoo News that the person photographed was the suspected shooter nor identify where and when the photos were taken. But multiple news outlets reported that the image was taken at the hostel where the suspect had been reportedly staying.
More evidence recovered late Friday
Police scoured the area in Central Park where they found what is believed to be the backpack the suspect was seen wearing. They turned up other items that they think could be connected to the crime.
Earlier Friday, investigators finished processing items collected from the scene, including a cellphone and water bottle that were turned over to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Friday for testing.
A fingerprint was found on the bottle, but the print was smudged, which means it can’t be identified. It’s not determined if the phone belonged to the gunman. Police have not yet been able to gain access to the device.
Officials have yet to determine a motive for the shooting. Investigators have been examining evidence found at the scene, including bullet casings that, according to multiple reports, had the words delay, deny and depose written on them. As the Associated Press noted, the words echo “delay, deny, defend” — a phrase commonly used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
Kenny said Friday that investigators believe that the gunman could be a disgruntled ex-employee of UnitedHealthcare or a client of the company.