NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #2

[MassGuy]

Shooter came from Atlanta by bus

Per CNN

Oh they're closing in now. Hopefully they can gather footage from that bus depot in Atlanta.

Candice DeLong, former FBI profiler: Those words on the bullets are not a decoy. Believes killer followed BT closely, and had been tracking him for a while (following him online, etc). Was not nervous at all. Nerves of steel.

 

[Tricia]

Dear Websleuths Members,
Please DO NOT post innocent people's pictures or names on the forum.
Can you imagine going about your day and then you get a zillion text messages because your name and picture are being connected to a murder case? Not good.
Remember the Boston Bomber? Reddit decided they had found the guy and posted his name and picture on their forum. Websleuths was up all night removing all the times posters posted the picture and name from Reddit. Come to find out, it was not that person at all. The person they said was the Boston bomber was a missing man who had committed suicide before the bombing.

 

[whitelilac]

Was the gunman crazy ??? I would argue that the gunman was extremely irrational in that he was planning and (presumably) expecting to survive what normally would have been considered a suicide mission ~ taking on a high profile person surrounded by a heavily armed and trained security team, numbering perhaps 10 or more !!! If a sane person were to consider such a plan, the only way it would make any sense would be to have your own army of people to be able to take on and fight the high profile person's security team. The gunman ended up being super lucky that the CEO blew off the security team, but he had no way to know that in advance.

bbm
maybe he did.
LE has already stated there may have been intel

 

[Diddian]

Quoting myself. This NYT link is not paywalled for me: UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting Live Updates: Suspected Killer of Brian Thompson Is Said to Have Used Fake ID

"The man arrived in New York on an interstate bus from somewhere south of the city on Nov. 24, the official said. He checked into the hostel on the Upper West Side after that, checked out on Nov. 29 and checked back in the next day, the official added."

Odd that he checked OUT of the hostel Nov 29 and then back in on Nov 30.

It raises the question: what were his movements on Nov 29 and where did he stay that night (Black Friday)? Also, was he with someone else that night? If they are able to get into the phone that was left behind, it will be interesting to see if it reveals anything that might address those questions.

Did he initially plan to shoot the victim on Nov 29, but for some reason that plan could not be carried out, so was replanned for Dec 4 (perhaps with a few days for solidifying the planning)?

 

[MassGuy]

Few silly questions…
Do we know if BT stayed in the same hotel the whole time? I remember reporting stating he arrived on Monday.
Is there any reporting BT visited that Starbucks any mornings prior or the morning of the shooting?
Just mulling over some stuff…

It's vague, but the NYT says he arrived on the 24th, checked into the hostel on the Upper West Side after that (unclear what day), checked out on the 29th, and checked back in the next day.

So presumably, he spent at least one night elsewhere.

 

[NottaYutz]

maybe ambivalent about being caught

He may have lifted the phone from a roommate in the hostel to drop on purpose.

 

[taylorss]

People are often expected to socialize quite a bit in hostels, especially if there for a while. I wonder what this guy was like. I think I'd be really creeped out hanging around with a stranger who never took his mask off!
Moo

 

[MassGuy]

Odd that he checked OUT of the hostel Nov 29 and then back in on Nov 30.

It raises the question: what were his movements on Nov 29 and where did he stay that night (Black Friday)? Also, was he with someone else that night? If they are able to get into the phone that was left behind, it will be interesting to see if it reveals anything that might address those questions.

Did he initially plan to shoot the victim on Nov 29, but for some reason that plan could not be carried out, so was replanned for Dec 4 (perhaps with a few days for solidifying the planning)?

The timeline doesn't work for an attack on the victim on the 29th, as BT arrived on Monday, which was the 2nd.

 

[getthefax]

This guy arrived incredibly early if his original target was BT. I have to wonder if he had someone else in mind, and pivoted at some point.

That’s interesting insight… I am still thinking BT was the original target, and that the travel info and length of stay(s) point toward not a local, and a need to become very familiar with the territory/escape routes etc on multiple days, in multiple conditions… moo

 

[Stunned]

He could have got his water bottle and granola/power bar from anywhere. Instead he chose a Starbucks branch - almost guaranteed to have well-maintained CCTV cameras. It's an odd decision but alas that's what he did - and he didn't even want a coffee...(how I interpret it).

Maybe he wants someone to know who he is?

 

[getthefax]

DBM duplicate post

 

[BUF]

Oh they're closing in now. Hopefully they can gather footage from that bus depot in Atlanta.

Candice DeLong, former FBI profiler: Those words on the bullets are not a decoy. Believes killer followed BT closely, and had been tracking him for a while (following him online, etc). Was not nervous at all. Nerves of steel.

Yeah. He was supposedly in N.Y. for 10 days, only checked into HI hostel for about 4 days before shooting

 

[azure]

Lots of good info there:

He had been in New York City for approximately 10 days prior to the shooting,

They believe the cell phone belonged to him and was not a decoy, and was NOT a burner.

He came from out of state, from somewhere south on the 24th.

They have been "flooded with tips."

One of their main goals is finding a surveillance image where his face is entirely unobscured, as the difficulty was that this guy was "extremely camera savvy."

BBM. Interesting, because I think most of us following at home would not agree. It may not be suitable for facial recognition software, but he was flashing that megawatt smile unmasked at the hostel.

 

[ElizaKate]

Link for the travelling from Atlanta https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/un...mpson-death-12-5-24#cm4bztz4700003b6rqpy8694l

 

[MrsWatson]

UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting: New images of ‘person of interest’ released as intense manhunt continues

Follow NBC News live updates for the latest coverage of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by a masked gunman in New York city.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Ed Teach]

I'm curious about the gun used. I can't really tell what it is but I read some article that mentions it may be a welrod pistol. Investigate the welrod pistol and look at the gun in the video please fellow sleuths and tell me what you think. If it is indeed a welrod pistol I find that somewhat peculiar. I can understand the silence factor but that sort of caliber at that range doesn't seem to be a very good choice for an assassination weapon. A kabar knife instead seems a better choice. More personal too.

This dude is evil. Cowardly evil.

 

[MassGuy]

How much do you want to bet when they do find his name, it’s going to the the name from his fake New Jersey ID.

On Thursday, senior law enforcement officials told News 4 that investigators were working on the belief that the suspect arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus from Atlanta on Sunday, November 24, around 9 p.m. They are also working to find a name among those who purchased tickets for this trip that might help identify the suspect.

UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting: Suspect may have arrived in NYC by bus Nov. 24, sources say

New York City police detectives are learning more about the movements of the alleged gunman who they say shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. On Thursday, senior law enforcement officials told News 4 that investigators were working on the belief that the suspect arrived in New...

www.nbcnewyork.com

 

[CrimeDawg123]

He may have lifted the phone from a roommate in the hostel to drop on purpose.

I thought about that and the water bottle too. But I probably watch a bit too much telly.

 

[whitelilac]

LE most likely is now studying video surveillance at the Atlanta airport in the days before the 24th.

 

[BUF]

@MassGuy I think John Miller is coming up on CNN with more info