The masked gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a midtown hotel and has yet to be caught by police went to a nearby Starbucks before the killing. Footage from the Starbucks showed the slain man talking on the phone 10 minutes before he shot Thompson.
The killer bought coffee, a bottle of water and two PowerBars from the store. Police went through the Starbucks trash can as he was seen throwing his coffee cups and bottles there.
The killer is skilled, methodical
From surveillance footage, investigators believe the killer is skilled because it appears the gun he used jammed in between, but the killer was able to clear it with his victim standing in front of him. And he continued firing. He then ran into the street and took the e-bike.
The bullets he used also contained a secret message — “deny”, “defend”, and “defend” are the words left behind by the killer on live rounds and shell casings. The NYPD is investigating whether the killer intentionally or unintentionally left a message in the bullet or inside the Starbucks.
Many people passed by suspiciously
Brian Thompson, 50, was on his way to speak at a UnitedHealth Group investor conference when he was attacked and killed. Police said the gunman had been waiting for his victim for several minutes and several people passed by the masked man. Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, said her husband had been receiving threats but was not privy to the details. “Basically, I don’t know, lack of coverage? I don’t know the details. All I know is that he said there were some people who were threatening him,” she said.
A social media user claims to know where the killer fled
A social media user confidently claimed to have scraped the data of the company whose e-bike the killer took to flee the crime scene. The post went viral and controversial.
“I’m constantly scraping CitiBike data every minute, so I can see where individual bikes go. Within 10 minutes of shooting from any dock near the hotel, the only northbound CitiBike going to Madison Ave & E 82nd St was bike #421. -6511 left dock at 54 St & 6 Ave at 6:44 am and docked at 6:52 am AM at Madison Ave and 82nd St. This is the *only* bike that left within 10 minutes of the shooting and headed north,” the user wrote, though others discussed that police later said the company’s e-bikes were not used. .