After United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead in a “brazen targeted attack” outside a Manhattan hotel Wednesday morning, one tip after another quickly emerged.

Surveillance video appears to show the gunman leaving a nearby subway station at 6:15 a.m. and purchasing two energy bars and a bottle of water at a nearby Starbucks, CNN reported.

Moments later, the suspect, wearing a brown jacket, face mask and gray backpack, is filmed strolling near a deli and apparently using the phone around 6:30 a.m., video surveillance appears to show. About half an hour after he got off the subway, a video shows him walking to the hotel where Thompson was heading to United’s annual investor conference and waiting outside.

The suspect approached Thompson from behind and opened fire, then approached him and continued firing, continuing his rampage even after taking a break to repair a firearm malfunction. The shooter crossed the street, slipped through an alley and jumped on an e-bike. He then drove north toward Central Park.

As police scoured the crime scene and increased their search efforts, the wealth of evidence grew. Police sources told the New York Post that the bullets used in Thompson’s death appeared to be marked with the words “deny,” “depose” and “defend.”

Because these words are similar to the 2010 book “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It,” they have raised questions about whether this shooting is related to criticism of the health insurance industry.

Police reportedly discovered a water bottle and a cell phone in the alley through which the shooter fled. The best clue may have been found in surveillance video at an Upper West Side hostel. He lowered his mask in what CNN called a “flirtatious moment” and gave a staffer a broad smile.

Despite extensive surveillance footage, decorated bullets and physical evidence, the shooter remains unknown and at large for a crime committed in one of the most heavily policed ​​cities in the country. His motive remains unknown and speculation is rife: Was the shooting a professional hit, or was the killer simply upset with an unpopular health insurer? Or are there other reasons that are still unknown?

Other high-profile murders give us a chance to avoid jumping to conclusions after spawning false theories about motive. The 2023 murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco spawned theories about homeless murderers and commentary on urban violent crime. But the accused killer, Nima Momeni, was a consultant who prosecutors said wanted to avenge an attack on his sister by Lee’s alleged drug dealer, to whom he said the tech guru had introduced him. The jury deliberates in this case.

In New York City, Anthony Comello was charged with the 2019 murder of Francesco “Franky Boy” Cali, an alleged leader of the Gambino Mafia family. Before Comello was arrested, the death had raised concerns about the possibility of a mob war. As it turned out, the suspect believed he was helping Donald Trump and believed Cali was part of the “deep state.”

Vernon J Geberth, a retired NYPD lieutenant who wrote “Practical Homicide Investigation,” widely considered a seminal textbook on murder investigations, does not believe the suspect is a professional killer.

“From my point of view it is too personal,” said Geberth, who is not involved in the investigation but offers his view based on his many years of experience. “Leaving some of these clues is like someone making a statement.”

“Professional people don’t make statements – they just do their job.”

Although there is a lot of evidence, Geberth said, this does not necessarily mean that a suspect will be caught immediately. For example, police could take fingerprints and DNA from the water bottle or cell phone, but that won’t lead to a suspect if that information isn’t in a database that law enforcement has access to.

“This person could be someone who has never committed a crime in their life,” Geberth said. “If you’re not in the system, you’re not in the system.”

Geberth said he believes the killer will be caught because footage of the suspect’s face is now available to the public across America and the world.

“His face is all over TV right now, there’s a $10,000 reward,” Geberth said. “Someone somewhere will know him because this case is being handled internationally.”

Mary Ellen O’Toole, who was an FBI profiler instrumental in the capture of the Unabomber killer, said the killer showed committed behavior but made some mistakes.

When I look at the initial facts, “it shows me that the shooter did some homework – quite a bit of planning.” O’Toole noted that the shooting occurred outside a large hotel with multiple entrances, but still knew how to contact the victim.

“Where did he get this information? We don’t know.”

O’Toole also noted that the gun had a silencer, which is placed on the barrel of a gun to make firing less audible.

“The shooter apparently planned to shoot outdoors. If you don’t muffle the noise, it could draw attention,” O’Toole said. “At the same time, in this shooter’s mind, having a silencer on a gun could have just been a cool thing, so it doesn’t have to be that way or that.”

One of the most interesting aspects for O’Toole: The shooter kept his cool when his gun jammed, something that can be difficult for even experienced law enforcement officers.

“When you’re at the range and people’s guns are jamming sometimes, it can be annoying, it can be stressful and it can make you angry,” O’Toole said. “If you look at the video of the shooter, you didn’t see any of that.”

“There was no conversation between the shooter and the victim. He didn’t come there to have a conversation – he came there to kill a CEO.”

As for the trail of evidence left behind, O’Toole believes investigators are aware that the suspect left shell casings and bullets as well as a water bottle nearby.

“I’m sure they’re assuming these were left there as a trick or that he was inattentive,” O’Toole said. “A good analyst or a good investigator will not commit to one theory.”

As of press time, the shooter has not been caught. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is facing charges over alleged bribery and campaign donations, said Friday that police were working quickly to catch the killer.

“When you look at how many hours have passed since a fully masked person was shot and then had to be brought to justice, you realize how quickly the NYPD is moving,” Adams said on the 1010 WINS Morning Drive radio show.

“Obviously this was not a random act. Our preliminary investigation believes this was a targeted shooting, but we are getting closer to arresting and removing this dangerous individual from the streets of our country.”

With the Associated Press