NYC Hostel at Center of UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Shooting Investigation: “The Most Important Lead Yet”

NEW YORK– A hostel in New York City is now the center of it The murder investigation of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

That’s true the NYPD has obtained photographs of a person of interestwho dropped his guard — and his mask — while speaking to a woman working the front desk.

A senior source tells CBS News that New York police interviewed the woman, and she told officers she asked to “see his beautiful smile.”

“They were having a flirty moment and he pulls it down and he smiles broadly, and that one casual moment between two people remains at this point the most important clue so far in this whole case,” said former Assistant Commissioner for Intelligence and Intelligence of the NYPD. Counterterrorism said John Miller.

Sources say the man used a fake New Jersey ID with a fake name to check into the hostel at 891 Amsterdam Ave on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Detectives locked down the room where he was staying and questioned other guests.

“We are fully cooperating with the NYPD and as this is an active investigation, we cannot comment at this time,” a Hi New York Hostel spokesperson said.

Sources: The person of interest arrived in New York 10 days before the shooting

Authorities have identified video of the person of interest arriving in New York City on a Greyhound Bus from Atlanta on Nov. 24, 10 days before the shooting, a person with knowledge of the investigation said.

Officials want to find out where and when the bus ticket was purchased, and under what name. But a complication is that the bus made multiple stops between Atlanta and New York City, and it is not yet clear where the person in question boarded.

Although the NYPD is leading the murder investigation, the case is multi-state, meaning it is likely the FBI will become more involved and could potentially take the lead on various elements of the investigation, sources said.

Images of the person of interest have been distributed to dozens of police departments across the country, sources said.

Chronology of UnitedHealthcare CEO Moves

The police are still there putting together a timeline of the shooter’s steps. Video shows him leaving a Midtown subway station at 6:15 a.m. Wednesday, half an hour before the shooting.

A few minutes later he shows up at a nearby Starbucks, two blocks from the Hilton hotel.

Sources tell CBS News police that the suspect bought a drink and a protein bar and paid in cash. The NYPD is now conducting forensic tests on a discarded coffee cup.

Around 6:30 a.m., surveillance video obtained by The New York Times shows the suspect talking on a cell phone as he walks to the hotel.

Sixteen minutes later, Thompson was killed.

“Delay” and “deny” written on bullets

NYPD sources say so The shooter used a B&T STATION SIX pistol equipped with a silencer.

“In all my years in law enforcement, I’ve never seen a silencer. So that was really something that was shocking to all of us,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Investigators still haven’t found two of the most important pieces of evidence: the gun and the backpack.

Detectives are investigating whether the words ‘delay’ and ‘deny’ found written in Sharpie on shell casingssheds light on a motive, possibly referring to a book called “Delay, Deny, Defend” that is critical of the tactics allegedly used by insurers.

Investigators search Central Park, where they believe the suspect dumped his backpack. He was last seen carrying the bag as he cycled into the park after the shooting. 15 minutes later the video shows him cycling out of the park without it.

“That backpack could have touched DNA, that backpack could have contained clothing, that backpack could have contained information or a weapon,” said CBS News law enforcement contributor and former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Rich Esposito. told CBS News New York. “So it is an intensive search.”

Investigators are also visiting gun dealers in Connecticut, trying to trace where the murder weapon was purchased and processing photos of the person in question in facial recognition technologies.

“You can compare it to their employee databases, there are criminal databases, there are military databases, there are a lot of places that have photos,” Esposito said.

The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward in the case. Police are asking the public to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via their website. All conversations are treated confidentially.