UnitedHealthcare CEO killed: Suspect left NYC on a bus, authorities believe

NEW YORK CITY (FOX 9) - The suspected gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday might have fled New York City already on a bus, New York City Police Department (NYPD) officials told CNN on Friday, according to the Associated Press.

Latest developments

"We have reason to believe that the person in question has left New York City," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told the media on Friday, according to AP.

A law enforcement official said on Friday that new surveillance footage shows the suspect riding the subway and visiting establishments in Manhattan, providing more clues about his actions in the days before the ambush, and where he could have gone since.

READ MORE: Suspect's likely route revealed

Police say they are using drones to search the area near 59th Street and 6th Avenue, where they believe the suspect might have ditched a gray backpack spotted in surveillance footage. 

NYC arrival

Investigators now believe the suspect may have traveled to New York on a Greyhound bus that originated in Atlanta, Georgia, on the day before Thanksgiving, according to NYPD sources.

The suspect used a fake New Jersey ID when he checked in at a hostel in the city, investigators have since learned.

Hostel surveillance shows the suspect checking in, but often wearing a mask to conceal their identity.

Police have since widely circulated photos of an unmasked face from the hostel and a nearby Starbucks, where they also believe purchases were made prior to the attack.

Shooting background

The NYPD has called the shooting a "brazen, targeted attack," with the suspect waiting for their intended target in this "premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack."

Surveillance footage from outside the hotel where Thompson was shot shows the suspect approaching him from behind, then firing several shots while pausing to clear a jam in the gun used. 

The words "deny," "defend" and "depose" were found written on the ammunition, echoing a phrase used by insurance industry critics, law enforcement officials have said.

Following the shooting, the suspect walked between two vehicles, got onto a bike and disappeared into Central Park.

Timeline

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny shared a timeline of events that led to the fatal shooting of Thompson on Wednesday morning in New York City. 

Here's what we know:

• Undetermined time: Police say the gunman arrived outside the Hilton Hotel approximately five minutes before Thompson and stood alongside the building line.
• 6:44 a.m.: Thompson exits his hotel, crosses the street to the Hilton Hotel and is seen walking alone on the sidewalk outside the building. Police believe Thompson was planning to attend the UnitedHealth Group Investors Conference happening at the hotel later that morning.
• Undetermined time: The gunman steps onto the sidewalk from behind a car and approaches Thompson, shooting him in the back. The gunman continues walking toward Thompson while shooting when police say the firearm appears to have malfunctioned. The man clears the jam, fires again and flees on foot into a nearby alleyway between 54th Street and West 55th Street.
• 6:46 a.m.: Police responded to a 911 call reporting that someone had been shot in front of the Hilton Hotel located on 6th Avenue between 53rd and 54th streets.
• Undetermined time: Once on West 55th Street, the gunman continues to walk westbound on 6th Avenue and gets onto a city e-bike. He continues riding northbound toward Central Park.
• 6:48 a.m.: Police say the gunman was seen riding the bike into Central Park at Center Drive.
• 6:48 a.m.: Officers arrived at the scene and found Thompson on the sidewalk in front of the hotel with gunshot wounds to his back and leg. EMS personnel transported Thompson to the hospital.
• 7:12 a.m.: Thompson was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital.