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

[DS2021]

Oh he’s on tiktok alright… all over it. But not for the reason you think

Unfortunately, knowing tiktok, i think its the exact reason we think lol

 

[Big Ears]

Maybe he was calling his kid to say have a good day at school.

I was in Midtown this week, including that morning, and he looks like every third person on the street, and a vast majority of men were wearing masks. It was cold with a bitter wind! The mask standing out is a non starter. I had food delivered several times and mostly bike delivery...all looked almost exactly like this guy..hoodie under puffer with hood, with black balaclava and gloves. He would not have stood out in any way whatsoever. Not odd, not suspicious, very very very common this week in the city.

...except for that odd gray, boxy backpack.

 

[ElizaKate]

Backpack found in Central Park believed to belong to suspect in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO, source says | CNN

Detectives investigating the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive have a “reason to believe” the person responsible for the shooting has left New York City, according to police commissioner Jessica Tisch.

amp.cnn.com

<snipped & BBM>
Key evidence, including the bike the suspect rode and the gun used in the killing, is still missing.

The backpack was found in a second sweep of the park Friday evening between some boulders just south of the park’s carousel, according to a source.

Hmm going to go with flakey reporting wording on this one. They haven't open the bag, they don't know if the gun is in there or not. (My money's on not for what it's worth).

 

[Periwinkl3]

Hopefully the gun is in that bag; I imagine it is.

Apparently it’s going to take a while before they actually open it (forensics on the outside).

Checking for explosives, too.

 

[Oceans1111]

Accidentally hit “post” button before finishing….
-If I were him and made it from the moment of firing bullets at Thompson (@6:45am) to being on 77/CPW within 14 minutes, the one spot I would have tossed my backpack would have been right by Hernshead Rock (google maps in Central Park). It’s the one spot between his entry point and his exit point of Central Park where he could have very quickly, without notice, tossed his backpack in the lake. He seems like he very much practiced this route and for anyone that knows it, it’s the one spot where you can super quickly exit the bike lane and at 7am (even though it’s starting to become a busy spot) could still 95% of the time find a nook to toss something in the lake that would be out of view corridor of anyone that was there.

-The rest seems to be fairly self explanatory per the NYPD press conference today. Exits at 77th > 85th btw CPW and Columbus > drops bike > catches ride (presumably taxi) to GWB bus terminal and bounced town.

-One additional note which I’m sure the NYPD is all over, but shooter would have been going opposite direction of the typical flow of the bike/running lane in Central Park, so that factor likely would trigger recall in some runners/bikers/walkers memory from the morning, albeit with him wearing mask probably doesn’t mean all that much.

 

[Nikynoo]

I saw this mentioned earlier & am wondering... didn't we see a shot of him leaving the subway station right before the killing without his bike. There was discussion upthread of where he got the bike - maybe he'd left it nearby, maybe he had an accomplice holding it in the area ... neither of those options sound great to me, are there any other alternatives?
Moo

I don’t think it was him

 

[Inthedetails]

This is a big question for me. I think he could have put his other backpack with all his clothes, other jacket in a locker at the GW Bridge station the day before. He could change out of his killing clothes into something totally different. Could possibly have a hat, wig and beard as well.

There are not lockers at the GWB bus terminal.

I'm thinking he left all his stuff at the hostel or threw everything out the day before. I'm curious if LE found anything in the hostel room.

But you bring up a good point about changing clothes after the crime. The shoes especially would be something to change, I would guess, as the white line is distinctive.

jmo

 

[BackInNewMexico]

I think they may already know who he is, just not admitting they know his name.

Ooh interesting, I hadn’t thought of that!

 

[taylorss]

One alternative I came up with is that he rode his bike from the hostel to the crime scene area and stashed it. Since it was cold that morning, I think he might have ducked into the station (but not actually through the turnstiles) to stay out of the cold while he waited for time to pass.

Not based on fact, just a guess.

jmo

I like this idea ... e-bikes cost thousands IIRC, and expensive items left unattended in NYC, no matter how well chained up, don't last! If he'd chained the bike nearby in advance, it MIGHT still be there when he needed it but probably not in its original condition. Maybe someone at the hostel would know if he kept the bike stored with them or nearby.
Moo

 

[chinacat67]

...except for that odd tan, boxy backpack.

100 different types of backpacks on a hundred different people on every street in Manhattan. Everyone was wearing backpacks of every kind and nature
..including me and mine was beige.

People walk around there with full on luggage to get down to train to airports. That backpack would not have caught many eyes at the moment either.

Imo

 

[Oceans1111]

It someone in the company scheduled to be deposed related to any of this?

Not certain, but see the most recent (top) post regarding timeline. If you scroll down, it’s a very informative resource and presumably reliable (ie hipaajournal):

https://www.hipaajournal.com/change-healthcare-responding-to-cyberattack/

 

[flowershop]

I am sure it was booked. But his admin manages his calendar, not him. He didn’t even look where he was staying until a few days before. According the NYC news I just watched this perp went straight to that door of the Hilton when he arrived in NY and stood there for 30 min. How would he know? If this was planned it was very well orchestrated from someone very close. BT didn’t know he would use that door to get to the conference ten days before he was killed, he didn’t know he would be alone. The killer couldn’t have known that either. The were lying in wait for whoever came along. MOO

Did I read this right... it is known that the shooter got to NY and then stood in front of the Hilton for 30 min. ? This would have been over a week before the murder?

 

[Inthedetails]

Backpack found in Central Park believed to belong to suspect in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO, source says | CNN

Detectives investigating the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive have a “reason to believe” the person responsible for the shooting has left New York City, according to police commissioner Jessica Tisch.

amp.cnn.com

<snipped & BBM>
Key evidence, including the bike the suspect rode and the gun used in the killing, is still missing.

The backpack was found in a second sweep of the park Friday evening between some boulders just south of the park’s carousel, according to a source.

I'm thinking he could've just left the bike on the sidewalk and let someone steal it. He had no more use for it.

The gun is concerning. At first I thought, I hope he doesn't ditch it and someone dangerous finds it...and then remember HE is dangerous! LOL

But, I do hope he didn't ditch the gun as a kid could pick it up.

jmo

 

[Muddy K]

Everything we've seen suggests genuine confidence. Call it flair or even panache. The apparently carefree attitude to the items left (phone, water), the decision to visit a Starbucks just minutes beforehand, the presence of witnesses (including someone standing close to Brian Thompson and the assassin during the shooting – the woman who flees), the casual departure on foot and bicycle, the choice of weapon (a gun that needed to be cleared after every single shot!), the choice of clothing, the smile in the stills. If the POI and the suspect are the same person, it's someone of unusual character.

@wibbleflea ITA with all of this. I also feel, somehow, that he expects to be caught, but every day he remains unidentified and at large has to be a "win" for him, as it's quantifying exponentially the attention being paid to his act and motive for it, both here and overseas. JMO.

I do think there was a point.

 

[MassGuy]

Did I read this right... it is known that the shooter got to NY and then stood in front of the Hilton for 30 min. ? This would have been over a week before the murder?

Yes. Reporting is that was his first stop, then he went to the hostel.

 

[getthefax]

That's the right style with the clip on the top and the side panels, and looks new without a lot of wear apparent. It certainly does not look like it has been there for months.

If that's how it was in situ, it's surprising that the perp didn't take time to cover it up with all those leaves there.

Almost looks planted.

It looks like it was hidden inside the cabinet of the carousel.

 

[getthefax]

I don't think he cared if the backpack was found or not. He wanted to ditch it to distance himself from it immediately after the crime, but he knew by the time it was found in the park, he'd be long gone.

I hope the backpack is useful to LE but I don't think the assassin is worried about it.

jmopinion

He does not care

 

[chinacat67]

There are not lockers at the GWB bus terminal.

I'm thinking he left all his stuff at the hostel or threw everything out the day before. I'm curious if LE found anything in the hostel room.

But you bring up a good point about changing clothes after the crime. The shoes especially would be something to change, I would guess, as the white line is distinctive.

jmo

Or...he could have worn several layers and discarded as he went along...top set in backpack, maybe next set in bathroom of Greyhound so he gets off there in a completely different outfit and can't be tracked. The clothes from the Greyhound could be stuffed in the black backpack he had, which could have been inside the tan one and then used when dumped tan one.

Also that shoe is not distinctive in my opinion. Those Nike and the knock offs (Skechers in particular) are all over the place...my children have had several iterations of them over last 6-8 years...they have been popular for a long while I believe.

 

[whitelilac]

I'm thinking he could've just left the bike on the sidewalk and let someone steal it. He had no more use for it.

The gun is concerning. At first I thought, I hope he doesn't ditch it and someone dangerous finds it...and then remember HE is dangerous! LOL

But, I do hope he didn't ditch the gun as a kid could pick it up.

jmo

If people are aware the gun is worth $5700, there might be a whole lotta folks looking for it.

 

[Herat]

Hopefully the gun is in that bag; I imagine it is.

Apparently it’s going to take a while before they actually open it (forensics on the outside).

I'm sure the bag has had an xray and possibly a CT-type scan at this point, even before the external examination begins.

I think LE by now has a good idea of whether the weapon is in there or not.