NYPD investigating if suspect in shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has left NYC by bus

In New YorkThe search for the masked gunman who targeted and killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare has entered its third day on Friday.

Possible leads have emerged about his travel before the shooting and a message scrawled on ammunition found at the crime scene.

Brian Thompson, aged 50, was fatally shot at around 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday outside the New York Hilton in what authorities have described as a “bold, deliberate attack.” He was in the city from Minnesota to attend his company’s investor conference.

The alleged perpetrator reportedly arrived in New York City by bus on November 24, with surveillance footage from the Port Authority Bus Terminal showing his arrival at 9 p.m., according to law enforcement sources cited by ABC News.

Authorities are still working to determine where the suspect boarded the inbound Greyhound bus he took to New York City but sources said he was spotted on board in Washington, D.C., so he boarded there or somewhere between D.C. and Atlanta.

Police are investigating whether the suspect also left the city by bus the day of the shooting December 4.

Investigators also believe they were able to score DNA samples from several pieces of evidence discovered at or near the murder scene, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The samples are currently at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to be run through databases for possible match, the sources said. That process could take a couple of days.

Police were also able to extract a fingerprint off the water bottle the suspect acquired at a Starbucks, but the fingerprint is smudged. It’s unclear to what extent the fingerprint will be helpful in the search for a killer.

THE INVESTIGATION

The 10-day period between the suspect’s arrival and the murder is the focus of investigative efforts.

Police have collected a trove of surveillance video of the suspect all over the city – in the subway, in cabs, in a McDonald’s and in a Starbucks. Each place he paid with cash and he made sure to keep his mask on, which indicate to detectives he knew he was coming to the city to commit the murder.

A Greyhound spokesperson said they are cooperating with the NYPD investigation, but said they “cannot provide further comment at this time.”

Police sources also told ABC News that the suspect checked into the HI New York City Hostel located at 104th Street and Amsterdam on the Upper West Side on November 30. It’s believed he arrived in the city prior to that date and detectives continue their video canvass to gain a fuller picture of his movements.

The new developments come after the NYPD released new photos of the suspect without a mask Thursday, apparently from when he stayed at the hostel.

A law enforcement source told our sister station, ABC7 Eyewitness News in New York, that the suspect’s unmasked smile came as he flirted with the front desk clerk who checked him into the hostel, and encouraged him to drop the mask so she could see his smile. The suspect obliged, pulling his mask down long enough for the surveillance camera to capture his face.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Friday that the NYPD is “on the pathway to bring this person to justice,” saying detectives are making significant progress, citing the un-masked photo.

“This person was fully masked and we used good old fashioned police work to come up with the picture that you have,” Adams said.

The photo represents an important image for investigators, and police are confident someone will recognize him.

It appears the suspect shared a room on the fourth floor with two other men, and checked into the hostel using a New Jersey license that isn’t his, police sources told ABC News.

Detectives ran the name and found it did not resemble any known photos of the suspect or other evidence amassed so far, the sources said.

Police are working to determine if the suspect prepositioned the bike and took the subway to the shooting scene.

A POSSIBLE MOTIVE?

Police say Thompson’s schedule for the investor conference was widely known.

The shooter appears to have known which door Thompson was going to enter and was spotted on video at least five minutes prior to the shooting loitering around the hotel. Thompson was approached from behind and shot several times at point blank range at the doorway on West 54th Street, including several rounds in the back and once in the right calf.

It’s not clear if any words were exchanged prior to the shooting.

The gunman, described as 6’1″ with a tall, thin build, ran through the midblock Ziegfeld Alleyway and eventually jumped on a bike and rode away into Central Park.

“Deny,” “defend” and “depose” were written on the live rounds and shell casings discovered at the scene of Wednesday morning’s shooting – which detectives interpret as a possible message from the suspect.

It furthers their working motive that the suspect held grudge against the insurance company. They are checking every dispute or contested denial of service brought against the company, as well as running down every threat made against the UnitedHealthcare CEO.

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Detectives still do not have the suspect’s name and they have his cellphone but have not accessed it. They believe they will have DNA and a smudged fingerprint on a discarded water bottle that is being tested.

Police are still searching for the e-bike he used that was last seen on West 85th Street, and the backpack he was seen on earlier video wearing.

Detectives are interested in every moment of the 10 days the suspect spent in New York City, and will be canvassing the Upper West Side, Midtown, and possibly other neighborhoods for surveillance until there is none left.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information.

The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.