NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #3

[Herat]

The hostel staff would remember if he had a foreign accent, too. Did he spend the last night at the hostel? Did he check out? Did he have any luggage, apart from the light colored backpack?

At the hostel check in , he had the black backpack with all the straps.

I read upthread that he had checked out of the hostel the morning before the shooting, so something like 5 -5:30 am.

 

[ElizaKate]

Footage shows the suspect walking at 86th Street and Columbus Avenue -- he was captured on CCTV riding a bike on 85th Street off Central Park West, so he must have ditched the bike at some point in the 1.5 blocks between where the CCTV footage and where he hailed a cab.

Aside from ditching the bike what is he doing up there! He could have just gone straight to the bus station. Is he returning the bike to someone or somewhere - why would you care after committing a murder instead of ditching it in the most convenient spot.. Something has made him go up that way.

 

[freewill_is_an_illusion]

I'm leaning toward some anarchist or activist group like Antifa or Anonymous. They are loaded with smart but brainwashed individuals. The planning and execution indicates that this was not a solo job, but the guy made so many mistakes that I doubt he was a professional hit man. I don't think a pro would leave so much potential DNA evidence unless he was planning to leave the country before being caught. According to the LE expert in a video posted earlier, his handling of the weapon indicates that he wasn't familiar with a noise suppressor's affect on the gun.
(Just my opinions)

There would be a difference in skill level between a $10k and a $100k contract killer.

Also why would an anti fascist organization (antifa) want to do this?

 

[MassGuy]

NYPD Chief of Detectives and Police Detectives on CNN right now:

Still searching Central Park to find that backpack using manpower and drones.

Video of him entering Port Authority terminal but not leaving. Not sure of specific bus yet. I got the impression they do have an idea though.

 

[Arkay]

Hello, I been a long time websleuth reader/ watcher. Love this place. I usually want to write but delete and carry on reading Today I ‘ll be brave. This case is very interesting but one thing my mind can’t un see is there is actually two people maybe two family members… making it hard to distinguish between camera and times. The backpack is meant to focus on maybe and missing the slight other difference in camera pics. I’m not sure if I’m making sense but what I see is two different people with very little difference between them.

Welcome to Websleuths!

IMO if there were two different but similar looking men, say brothers for example, then the hostel clerk would have informed the police that there were two guys checking in.

OR if there were two different but similar looking men, and they stayed in SEPARATE places, then with the publicity this has garnered I’d guess another clerk in another place would have noticed and hopefully tipped the police.

Personally I also see slight differences but I do think it’s just a trick of the camera.
In the smiling picture, for instance, where many people feel that’s a female, I do see a softer face (a little bit of Julia Roberts, to me) but I think it’s just the kind of face whose expressions are very changeable. The hands etc. are very masculine, IMO.

 

[Inthedetails]

Aside from ditching the bike what is he doing up there! He could have just gone straight to the bus station. Is he returning the bike to someone or somewhere - why would you care after committing a murder instead of ditching it in the most convenient spot.. Something has made him go up that way.

Agree. The Port Authority Bus Terminal is at 42nd Street, Times Square. There is another bus terminal way uptown and perhaps he was headed there. IDK.

I'm thinking his goal was to get out of the city fast.

jmo

 

[armchairagatha]

Aside from ditching the bike what is he doing up there! He could have just gone straight to the bus station. Is he returning the bike to someone or somewhere - why would you care after committing a murder instead of ditching it in the most convenient spot.. Something has made him go up that way.

He was ditching the weapon.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

So they caught him on video after he exited Central Park? If so, why can’t they track where he went after that?

This is one of my biggest questions as well.... I guess I am hoping that THEY are really on his trail, and are just holding back information.
However, I think they ARE desperately trying to get people to come forward with ANYTHING, so why would they hold back any trailing information??

 

[Baby baby Jane]

If he’s typical American young adult, hundreds of people will recognize him.
If he’s an American home-schooled from a reclusive community … then maybe no one recognizes him, but that’s a long shot.

 

[Nikynoo]

In this video of him allegedly leaving the F strain station before the shooting, doesn't it look like the backback hangs differently than in the image of it at the Starbucks and at the shooting? It looks more criss-cross to me in the first image than the more aligned with shoulders in the other two. Each screenshot is from the linked video.
View attachment 549705

View attachment 549703View attachment 549704

In the first pic, it looks like they are wearing shorts the lower right leg looks bare to me. I agree the backpack hangs differently.

 

[SleuthJan]

There would be a difference in skill level between a $10k and a $100k contract killer.

Also why would an anti fascist organization (antifa) want to do this?

Just the message on the bullets, doing it in Manhattan, targeting the CEO of the largest health insurance company in the world, all superlatives, seems like it was done to send a message to everyone below/under them?

Any other motive, and they could have done this more discreetly?

 

[Vaderman]

Has it been clarified one way or another whether he is considered a threat to society? I know it's been stated that this was targeted, but usually if that's the case, it's stated that the public isn't at threat.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Agree. The Port Authority Bus Terminal is at 42nd Street, Times Square. There is another bus terminal way uptown and perhaps he was headed there. IDK.

I'm thinking his goal was to get out of the city fast.

jmo

According to CNN, he got in a cab and went to the GW Bridge Bus Station at 178th Street and Broadway (it is a Port Authority bus terminal but not the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which is in Midtown)

 

[freewill_is_an_illusion]

Just the message on the bullets, doing it in Manhattan, targeting the CEO of the largest health insurance company in the world, all superlatives, seems like it was done to send a message to everyone below/under them?

Any other motive, and they could have done this more discreetly?

I don't buy it. Antifa aren't communists, and united health, as scummy as health insurance companies are, are not fascists.

To me this isn't a political hit. It's motivated by revenge or money.

 

[indicolite22]

According to CNN, he got in a cab and went to the GW Bridge Bus Station at 178th Street and Broadway (it is a Port Authority bus terminal but not the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which is in Midtown)

Did he arrive to NYC at the same bus terminal as he left from?

 

[jennytrevor]

If he’s typical American young adult, hundreds of people will recognize him.
If he’s an American home-schooled from a reclusive community … then maybe no one recognizes him, but that’s a long shot.

Lots of people are not tuned into things like this and will never see pictures of the perp. Or maybe once and spend all of 10 seconds thinking about it. And many others who may recognize him do not feel motivated to reveal his identity bc they agree with him and/or the reward is meager. Only 10k. Lady Gaga offered 500k for her stolen dogs.

 

[Inthedetails]

According to CNN, he got in a cab and went to the GW Bridge Bus Station at 178th Street and Broadway (it is a Port Authority bus terminal but not the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which is in Midtown)

Yes, I know that location. Very interesting! It's not a crowded place but there would be cameras, I think?

jmo

 

[Herat]

Deleted by me.

 

[ElizaKate]

He was ditching the weapon.

Convenient spots to ditch in the Hudson River perhaps?

<ETA my instinct thinks he's kept the weapon though. Feels like that weapon means something to him. I just can't understand why he would head North to go South again by cab. There's got be a motivation for doing that>

 

[MassGuy]

CNN on the search for the backpack.

Former FBI agent: Possibility someone picked up backpack and walked away with it. They'll speak with homeless people, etc.

They'll be able to determine a search radius based on when he entered the park, and when he left.