The gunman sought in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was not easy to find by New York City police, but he left some confusing clues that could lead to an arrest, experts said Friday. Announced.
Despite carrying out the shooting in downtown Manhattan, where countless surveillance cameras were installed, and despite revealing his face at the hostel where he was believed to have been staying before the shooting, there are still 50 people investigating. The identity of the gunman who ambushed him has not been made public. Early Wednesday morning, a -year-old insurance executive.
Michael Alcazar, a former NYPD detective who is now an adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the time it took for images of the gunman to be widely released helped.
“From the beginning, this guy had a day to get away,” Alcazar told NBC News.
“But now that we have his image, we can almost guarantee that detectives have a solid lead as to who he is, either from Crime Stoppers or someone who is trying to collect the bounty. They probably already have much more information about him than they’re releasing to the public. ”
“That might be the lead the NYPD needs,” former NYPD detective Jillian Snyder told MSNBC. “This person is a person with remarkable features. He has a smile.”
Earlier, Tom Berni, a former NYPD detective, told MSNBC’s Jose Diaz-Balart that the gunman’s identity could be determined because his face was “pasted” on news sites across the country. He said it was only a matter of time before he was arrested. He also did not rule out the possibility that the gunman was still in New York City.
“In a city like New York City, you can disappear into the crowd,” Verni said.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney later said he believed the suspect had left New York City. He said there is footage of him getting into a taxi heading to the Port Authority bus terminal near 178th Street and Broadway.
“That bus is an interstate bus, so we believe he may have left New York City,” Kenney said.
Thompson was shot and killed outside the New York Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan in what Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said was a “premeditated, premeditated, targeted attack.” Tisch said at a news conference after the shooting that he was on his way to speak at a UnitedHealth Group investor conference when a gunman approached him from behind and “fired several shots.”
Tisch said the gunman “waited several minutes” before opening fire.
Thompson’s final moments were captured on surveillance camera footage, which showed the gunman approach him from behind and open fire. Video shows the shots continued as Thompson fell to the sidewalk.
Police said the gunman arrived at the scene about five minutes before the shooting. Thompson, who lived in Minnesota, was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai West Hospital.
Meanwhile, the gunman fled on foot and then on a rented bicycle, Tisch said. He was last seen in Central Park.
A possible motive for the murder emerged Thursday when police revealed that the words “denial,” “defense” and “exile” were written on the shell casings found at the crime scene. Police clarified Friday that it was a “delay” written in the case, not a “defense.”
UnitedHealthcare has received complaints from thousands of disgruntled customers over the years, and Thompson’s wife told NBC News that her late husband had received threats. He was not traveling with a security guard.
Alcazar said while giving back may have been the motive, several other things stood out to him when he watched the video.
“Initially, I thought it was some sort of vengeful man, and considering the writing found on the shell casing, that may still be the case,” Alcazar said. “But if you watch the video, there’s a confidence there as well. He shoots. Then, when the gun appears to malfunction, he stays calm and starts shooting again.”
So Alcazar said, “If I’m working on this case, at least for now, I’m going to rule out the possibility that the gunman is a hired gun or someone who comes from the military and has experience using weapons.” No,” he said.
Alcazar said the fact that the murder weapon was never found could itself be a clue.
“We believe this gun is very unique, especially as it may be a bolt-action, single-shot weapon,” he said. “A unique selection of weapons for executing targets.”
But Verni said he was not convinced that it was a professional who killed Thompson.
He said he didn’t kill people on the streets of midtown Manhattan because “a professional hitman would be more of a ghost” and there would likely be witnesses even at that time.
He added that the fact that the gunman appeared to have “some type of silencer” on the gun was “strange in a way.”
“But he definitely planned this,” Verni said.
Investigators previously told NBC News they believe the gunman may have traveled from Atlanta to New York City by bus last month.
Authorities are looking to see if they can find any names on tickets purchased for a Nov. 24 Greyhound trip that may help identify the shooter. Greyhound said it is cooperating with authorities in the investigation.
Police are also investigating whether the gunman paid in cash and used false identification to rent a hostel room on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, according to two law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation. They are also investigating.
Before the shooting, the gunman bought a water bottle and two protein bars at a nearby Starbucks and threw them away, officials said.
In addition to footage of the shooting, investigators also found a video showing where the man discarded his purchases, which police collected as evidence in hopes of aiding the investigation, officials said.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done in crime processing on the ground,” Alcazar said. “We may know it’s him, but we have to be able to prove it’s him. To do that, we need to collect and identify DNA, as well as other physical evidence. processing is required.”
