The alleged shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had checked into an Upper West Side hostel using a fake New Jersey ID shortly before the shocking attack. The suspect used the fake ID to book a spot at the HI New York City Hostel, located at 891 Amsterdam Ave. in Manhattan, on November 30, law enforcement sources told the New York Post.
Investigators later determined that the ID was fake, according to sources. Surveillance footage captured the suspected killer grinning inside the hostel in eerie images taken before the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown early Wednesday morning, as a widescale manhunt for him continued.
Fake ID as Mystery Continues
Police and FBI agents searched the hostel after surveillance footage showed the gunman in the area shortly before the deadly shooting. According to sources, a search of the room rented by the suspect yielded nothing of note as of Thursday afternoon.
As the manhunt intensified, authorities recovered the burner phone the suspect discarded while fleeing the scene. He vanished into Central Park just moments after fatally shooting the UnitedHealthcare executive.
Police reported that the suspect was seen using the phone to make a call as he approached the hotel on Sixth Avenue.
Investigators also found one of the water bottles he had bought at a Starbucks on West 56th Street and Sixth Avenue, just a short distance from the hotel.
On Thursday, the second day of the manhunt, a hostel clerk's brief flirtation with the suspected killer provided authorities with crucial evidence by allowing a clearer view of the attacker.
The staff member revealed to CNN that she while flirting with the gunman asked to lower his mask while checking him into the HI New York City Hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
The suspect obliged, enabling the hostel's surveillance cameras to capture a clearer image of his smiling face. The NYPD later released the footage as part of their ongoing search for the fugitive.
Shocking Details
Police sources told CNN that the suspect arrived in New York City on November 24, traveling by Greyhound bus from Atlanta, ten days before the fatal shooting. After initially checking into the HI New York City Hostel with a fake New Jersey driver's license, the suspect appeared to move around the city. He checked out on November 29 but returned the following day, paying in cash for his stay.
A new photo obtained by CNN shows the suspect walking along West 55th Street on the morning of the shooting, heading toward the Hilton Hotel.
Officers searched the hostel on Thursday as part of the investigation and also raided a Long Island Rail Road train on Wednesday.
The weapon used in the killing is believed to be a modernized version of a rare World War II firearm, the B&T VP9. Detectives are now focusing on a Connecticut gun store suspected of selling the gun, according to sources cited by The New York Post.
Investigators also discovered shell casings at the crime scene with the words "deny," "defend," and "depose" engraved on them.
The gunman fled on foot after the attack, eventually riding away on an electric bike and vanishing into Central Park.
Footage of the shooting captured the chilling moment when Thompson, walking alone near the entrance of the Midtown Hilton, was ambushed. The gunman stepped into view, drew a large firearm, and shot Thompson in the back. The CEO stumbled down the street as the assailant continued firing.
