Assailant of UnitedHealthcare CEO traveled from Atlanta before shooting Brian Thompson in bold Manhattan incident

The individual believed to be the person who shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson recently arrived in New York City by taking a Greyhound bus from Atlanta.

The individual who gunned down the 50-year-old outside of the Hilton in Manhattan had arrived on a bus on November 24 according to CNN. 

He is said to have arrived into the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan following the 20 hour bus trip from the southern city. 

A Greyhound spokesperson said they would be ‘fully cooperating with authorities on this active investigation’.

Sources told the outlet that he then appeared to move around the city after checking into the Hi New York City hostel in Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

The outlet said that he checked out of the hostel on November 29 and then checked back in the next day.

He had checked into the hostel using a fake New Jersey driver’s license and had paid in cash for his stay. 

Law enforcement officials searching for the perpetrator of the crime received significant evidence from the hostel. This evidence came to light when the assailant briefly lowered his mask during a flirtatious interaction with a staff member.

Upon request, the surveillance cameras in the hostel captured a clearer image of the suspect while he was smiling. The New York Police Department (NYPD) then shared this image as part of their continued search for the shooter.

A new image obtained by CNN also shows the killer walking along West 55th Street while heading to the Hilton Hotel on the morning of the shooting.

Officers had appeared at the hostel on Thursday as part of their ongoing search and had also raided a Long Island Rail Road train on Wednesday.

The weapon used in the shooting is also now believed to have been a modern version of a rare World War II gun. 

Sources told The New York Post that detectives are focusing their efforts on a Connecticut gun store they believe sold the B&T VP9 gun. 

Detectives investigating the murder also found shell casings with the words ‘deny’, ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ inscribed on them. 

Images of him with his face covered had emerged on Wednesday of him inside a Starbucks near the hotel prior to the shooting. 

Inside a nearby trash can, officers found a water bottle and protein bar wrapper that they say the gunman purchased from the coffee chain minutes before the shooting. 

The gunman had escaped on foot before making his way to an electric bike and disappearing into central park.  

Surveillance footage of the shooting shows Thompson walking alone outside of the entrance to the midtown hotel when the gunman steps into frame and opens fire.

The terrifying video shows the masked killer draw out a large gun and shoot Thompson in the back, sending the CEO stumbling down the street as he continues to fire.

Newly appointed police commissioner Jessica Tisch said on Wednesday that the shooter appeared to be ‘lying in wait for several minutes’ before approaching Thompson.

Tisch added: ‘Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target’, and said that it did not ‘appear to be a random act of violence’.

Police sources close to the investigation told CNN that they believe the shooter was an experienced marksman based on his reactions.

Firearms experts who studied the footage told the outlet that he reacted like someone with training from law enforcement or military would be trained to react to such an issue. 

Thompson’s widow Paulette said her husband, who she is separated from, had been receiving threats in the run up to the shooting.

He was set to announce the company’s hugely profitable 2025 financial outlook, including expected revenues upwards of $450 billion.

UnitedHealthCare had hired security for their top executives with Thompson having his own security detail for the event who were absent when he was gunned down. 

As news of his assassination circulated on Wednesday morning, many major healthcare providers beefed up their personal protection for their top execs, according to CNN. 

His schedule was widely known, and witnesses have said the suspected gunman even knew which door Thompson was going to emerge from before opening fire. 

Without knowing it was Thompson who was hit, one attendee told the group that ‘someone got shot outside.’ 

CEO of parent company United Healthgroup Andrew Witty is said to have halted the meeting at the hotel just after 8am upon hearing of the tragedy. 

Thompson’s family left a note on the door of their Minnesota mansion on Thursday describing the exec as an ‘incredibly loving, generous, talented man’.