NEW YORK CITY – The NYPD released new images of a person involved in the ambush assassination of the CEO of one of the world’s largest healthcare companies.

The person in the photos, wearing a gray hood and grinning, is wanted for questioning in connection with the pursuit and shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York City hotel on Wednesday.

The hunt for the suspect led the NYPD to at least two residence halls on the Upper West Side on Thursday morning, a police official briefed on the investigation told the Associated Press.

Police followed up on a tip that the suspect may have been in one of the apartments. According to a Kama Central Park employee, two detectives arrived at the hostel at 7 a.m. Thursday with a photo of the shooter and asked employees if they recognized the man. They didn’t, the employee said, and investigators left soon after. A staff member at the nearby HI New York City hostel also confirmed that police had visited the location on Thursday, but declined to provide further information.

Bullet point messages

New evidence also suggests the shooter may have left a message on the bullet casings at the crime scene.

Jump to: SCHEDULE OF EVENTS l WHO IS BRIAN THOMPSON? l WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT GUNMAN

According to Associated Press sources, the words are “deny,” “put down” And “defend” were written on the live cartridges and shell casings left behind by the assassin after the shooting. A source also told us FOX 5 NY the markings were “bizarre and frightening”.

MORE: Possible meaning behind the CEO killer’s apparent message

The evidence also suggested that each bullet and shell casing had only one word on it, leading them to believe he may have been trying to leave a message, sources said. The words on the ammunition may have been a reference to strategies insurance companies use to try to avoid paying claims, the AP reported.

No suspects have been named, but law enforcement sources confirm this FOX 5 NY that they have received a number of tips, and one of those tips has a name in it that the police are investigating. The police may now go to a residential home in the city where they suspect the suspect is.

On Wednesday, NYPD Chief Detective Joseph Kenny shared a timeline of events leading up to the fatal shooting of Thompson:

• Indefinite time: According to police, the gunman arrived at the Hilton Hotel about five minutes before Thompson and stood next to the construction line.
• 6:44 a.m.: Thompson leaves his hotel, crosses the street to the Hilton Hotel and is seen walking alone on the sidewalk in front of the building. Police believe Thompson had planned to attend UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference, which was being held at the hotel later that morning.
• Indefinite time: The gunman steps onto the sidewalk behind a car, approaches Thompson and shoots him in the back. The gunman continued to walk toward Thompson during the shooting when police said the gun appeared to malfunction. The man clears the traffic jam, shoots again and flees on foot into a nearby alley between 54th Street and West 55th Street.
• 6:46 a.m.: Police responded to a 911 call reporting that someone had been shot outside the Hilton Hotel on 6th Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets.
• Undetermined time: Once on West 55th Street, the shooter continues west on 6th Avenue and gets on a bicycle. He continues north toward Central Park.
• 6:48 a.m.: According to police, the shooter was seen riding his bicycle into Central Park on Center Drive.
• 6:48 a.m.: When officers arrived at the scene, they found Thompson on the sidewalk in front of the hotel with gunshot wounds to his back and leg. Emergency responders transported Thompson to the hospital.
• 7:12 a.m.: Thompson was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital.

According to UnitedHealthcare’s website, Thompson was named Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021. He lived in Minnesota, where the company is based.

Previously, he was CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s government program businesses, including Medicare & Retirement and Community & State. He has been with UnitedHealth Group since 2004 and has held various leadership positions.

Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group, Thompson was a CPA at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. According to Thompson’s LinkedIn profile, he was valedictorian of his class at the University of Iowa.

His wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he had recently received threats.

“There have been some threats,” she told NBC News when asked for comment. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of reporting? I don’t know any details. All I know is that he said there were some people who threatened him.”

Thompson was in town for UnitedHealthcare’s 2024 investor conference. The conference, held at the hotel where Thompson was shot, was canceled.

The NYPD called this a “brazen, targeted attack” at Wednesday’s press conference, with the suspect waiting for his intended target in this “premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack.”

“It appears that the suspect lay in wait for several minutes and as the victim walked toward the conference hotel, the suspect approached from behind and fired several shots, hitting the victim at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

A video showed him approaching Thompson from behind, aiming his pistol and firing several shots, barely pausing to clear a brief gun jam. Other surveillance cameras recorded the early stages of the shooter’s escape.

The suspect, who was wearing a backpack, is described as a 1.80 meter tall man with a slim build. He was last seen wearing a cream-colored jacket with black gloves and a black mask.

Tisch said many people passed by the suspect, but he appeared to be waiting for his intended target.

After the shooting, the suspect walked between two vehicles, got on a bicycle and then disappeared into Central Park, the NYPD said.

It was previously reported that the suspect was using a Citibike – which can be tracked – but the NYPD has clarified that the incident did not involve such a bike.

Although police said it was a targeted attack, they have not yet revealed a motive.

No suspects have been named, but law enforcement sources confirm this FOX 5 NY that they have received a number of tips, and one of those tips has a name in it that the police are investigating.

Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.