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Mr. Thompson was on his way to an investors’ gathering when he was killed by a masked shooter who fled on an electric bike, the police said.
Published Dec. 4, 2024Updated Dec. 6, 2024, 3:00 a.m. ET
The masked assailant who fatally shot Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel early Wednesday remained at large more than 36 hours later, as details slowly emerged about his methods and whereabouts before the shooting.
Despite an intense citywide manhunt, the suspect’s name remained unknown on Thursday evening, two law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation said. Even so, the police managed to trace his arrival in New York about 10 days before the shooting, some of his movements in those days and his route immediately before and after the killing. A picture began to emerge of the suspect as a shrewd and elusive operator.
When did the gunman arrive in Manhattan?
The suspect appears to have arrived in Manhattan 10 days before the shooting, on Nov. 24, a senior law enforcement official said. He came on a bus that originated somewhere south of the city and checked into the HI New York City Hostel on Amsterdam Avenue near 104th Street in Manhattan. He checked out on Nov. 29, then checked back in the next day, the official said.
When he returned, on Nov. 30, the shooter used a fake New Jersey identification to book a room, the senior law enforcement official said. On Thursday, the police released two surveillance stills of the man who is believed to be the shooter with his mask down. The photos appear to have been taken at the hostel, where he had shared a room with two strangers, the senior law enforcement official said. It remains unclear when the photos were taken.
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Why is it taking so long to catch him?
Mr. Thompson was gunned down in one of the busiest and most intensely surveilled neighborhoods in the country, during an especially busy season for shoppers and tourists. The Police Department has years of experience using images from surveillance cameras and drones to find and capture criminals. The department dispatched scores of officers and detectives, dogs and drones to search the city and to research tips, which arrived from all over the country.
