The manhunt for a suspect in the brutal slaying of a UnitedHealth Group executive outside a busy Midtown hotel entered its third day, leaving New Yorkers on edge.
Police also announced on Friday that no arrests have been made in the case in spite of the shocking nature of the crime.
However, investigators are being guided in their search for the murderer of UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson by cryptic messages on bullets, a cellphone discovered on the street, and security-camera images of a smiling, hooded man.
In addition to public appeals for information, authorities have offered a reward of up to $10,000. The attack was targeted, according to the police, but they are still in search of a motive.
On Thursday, investigators conducted a search of a hostel located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in order to compile a timeline of the suspect’s movements. They suspect that the suspect may have resided there.
Plainclothes officers were stationed outside the Victorian-style building, which is situated on Amsterdam Avenue at West 103rd Street, in close proximity to Central Park and a brief subway journey from Times Square.
According to a law enforcement official, the suspect visited a Starbucks prior to the shooting and made purchases with cash. A cellphone was discovered in an alley adjacent to the gunshot site by the investigators.
At 6:44 a.m. on Wednesday, Thompson, a 50-year-old individual, was situated in close proximity to the entrance of a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
In the predawn darkness, an assassin, who was dressed in a dark hoodie and carried a gray backpack, emerged from behind a parked vehicle, walked forward, and fired.
Despite the fact that his 9-millimeter pistol was blocked, the suspect maintained his focus on his target.
In the security camera footage of the assault, he briefly pauses to clear his throat before resuming shooting with an eerie calm.
Law enforcement responded intensely to the assault, with officers arriving on the scene within minutes.
However, the individual in question had already vanished from Central Park.
According to law enforcement officials, the suspect utilized a Sharpie to inscribe the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” on cartridges that are suspected to have originated from his pistol during the jam.
Some of the terms are frequently linked to strategies that insurers employ to avoid paying claims.
In the hours following the shooting, Maple Grove Police Department reported that bomb threats were made to two Minnesota residences owned by Thompson and his widow.
Police reported that the threats were believed to be a hoax, and no devices or suspicious items were discovered during the search.
The assassination of Thompson refocused attention on the potential security hazards associated with corporate operations.
According to administrators in the health insurance industry, it is not uncommon for companies and their leaders to be threatened or sued by customers, frequently due to high costs or rejected coverage.
[READ MORE: Trump Nominates Major Musk Ally to Head up NASA]
