NEW YORK — The search for the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, since Thompson was ambushed Wednesday outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, extends beyond New York City. While still seeking to identify the suspect, the FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. This is in addition to a $10,000 reward offered by the New York Police Department.
The shooter used a fake ID and paid cash during the 10 days he was in the city, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters Friday. He also kept his face covered except when checking into a hostel. He was captured by some of the thousands of surveillance cameras that cover Manhattan, allowing police to establish a timeline of his movements.
Here’s what we know so far about what the NYPD is describing as a planned attack.
November 24
10:11 p.m. — Suspected shooter arrives in New York aboard a Greyhound bus at the Port Authority terminal. The bus left Atlanta and made six or seven stops on the way to New York. Police could not immediately determine where he got on the bus.
The man then took a taxi to the Hilton Midtown area of New York and stayed there for about half an hour.
Around 11 p.m. — The man took a taxi to the HI New York City hostel, located at 891 Amsterdam Ave., where he stayed until the morning of the shooting. He presents an ID that the police believe is fake. Two roommates in a shared bedroom with bunk beds never saw his face, police said, because he kept his mask on.
As he spoke with an employee in the hostel lobby, he briefly pulled down his mask and smiled — a moment captured on surveillance footage widely released by police.
November 29
The man was released from the hostel, where guests are automatically released if they do not show up at the office by a certain time. Police do not believe he stayed elsewhere and returned to the same hostel the next day.
December 4
Around 5:30 a.m. — The suspected shooter leaves the inn well before dawn.
5:41 a.m. — He appears on video on 54th Street and Sixth Avenue, walking back and forth in the area of the Hilton Hotel where United Healthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, is holding its annual investor conference.
The police deduce that he cycled to the Hilton because it took him so little time to get there. “Could he have stolen the bike? These are things we are still studying,” Kenny said.
At one point, he went to a nearby Starbucks and purchased a bottle of water and at least one energy bar before returning to the hotel.
6:44 a.m. — He shoots Thompson as the executive arrives alone, on foot, after walking from a hotel across the street. The man runs away.
6:48 a.m. — Man enters Central Park on a bicycle through the 60th Street and Center Drive entrance. It was in the park and away from security cameras that police believed he threw a gray backpack.
6:56 a.m. — He leaves the park at West 77th Street and Central Park West, still on his bike.
6:58 a.m. — He passes another camera on 85th Street and Columbus Avenue, still on his bike.
7 a.m. — He’s on 86th Street, no longer with the bike.
7:04 a.m. — He gets into a northbound taxi at 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
7:30 a.m. – It is near the George Washington Bridge and bus terminal. It offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington.
After the attack, investigators found the words “deny,” “defend,” and “drop,” written in permanent marker on the munitions at the scene. The words mimic a phrase used by critics of the insurance industry.
December 6
Kenny and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch reveal that investigators believe the shooter left New York on a bus. Investigators say he entered the George Washington Bridge bus station, but found no video of him leaving or boarding a bus.
“It could be a disgruntled employee or a disgruntled customer,” Kenny said of a possible motive during a briefing.
Police discover what they say is the man’s backpack. Its contents are not disclosed.
December 7
Police continue to search Central Park; divers are seen scouring a pond. NYPD releases additional photos showing suspected shooter alongside and in the backseat of a taxi. In both images, he is seen wearing a blue medical-style mask.
Despite collecting a fingerprint while shopping at Starbucks and sending items for DNA testing, police have yet to publicly identify the suspect.
December 8
Divers are seen again near a pond in Central Park. Police refuse to comment on the investigation.
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