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As of late Thursday night, the manhunt was still underway for the masked man who assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Hilton Hotel in New York City Wednesday morning.
Although authorities are still searching for the gunman, and his identity, pieces of the puzzle are coming together as new details are emerging on his activities leading up to the shooting, including the discovery that he had been in New York City for about 10 days prior to the shooting.
Thursday morning, the NYPD released two photos from surveillance footage as the gunman, grinning broadly, was standing at the counter of an Upper West Side youth hostel, where he stayed before the murder.
According to law enforcement, the man had pulled down his mask because he was “flirting” with the receptionist and she asked to see his face.
Thursday night it was revealed that the man first arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus on November 24. The bus he arrived on came from Atlanta, Georgia, but it is still unclear where the killer boarded the bus.
ABC7NY.com reported: The suspected gunman went through Port Authority Bus Terminal and detectives have been looking to see if they can spot him on video, according to the sources.
The New York Post reported: After setting foot in the Big Apple, he checked into the HI New York City Hostel on the Upper West Side before going to stake out the Hilton Hotel in Midtown where he ended up killing Thompson early Wednesday.
He appeared to have checked out of the youth hostel for one night before returning in an Uber a day later – on Nov. 30 – to rebook a room with a fake New Jersey ID, per sources.
After the murder, police officers and FBI agents have searched the hostel room on the fourth floor where the gunman stayed – which he shared with two other men – but reportedly found no evidence there.
After gunning down Thompson at 6:44 am Wednesday morning, the killer fled the scene, running through an alleyway and then hopping onto an electric bike which he rode into Central Park before he disappeared.
However, police have discovered a phone which the gunman may have ditched or dropped in the alley as he fled the crime scene, and investigators are hoping to review data on the phone, as well as fingerprints that may have been left on the device.
According to Fox News: Police are also looking into a water bottle that was left at a Starbucks near the scene of the murder. Police sources say that DNA from the bottle is being used to build a suspect profile. The suspect is said to have paid in cash at the Starbucks.
🚨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
A gunman killed the UnitedHealthcare CEO in Manhattan on Wednesday.
Maps, surveillance footage and photos show how the shooting unfolded and how the suspect fled. https://t.co/TFelJi01uv
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 6, 2024
UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting: Police appear to be closing in on shooter’s identity, sources say https://t.co/E7buP7HUVu
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) December 5, 2024
BREAKING: NYPD releases new photos of healthcare CEO shooting suspect seen smiling, without his mask
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