NYC hostel at center of United Healthcare CEO shooting investigation: ‘Most significant clue yet’

NEW YORK – A New York hostel is now the focus The murder investigation of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

That’s where The NYPD has received photos of a person of interestwho let his guard down – and his mask – down as he spoke to a woman working the front desk.

A senior source told CBS News that the New York Police Department interviewed the woman and she told officers she wanted to “see his pretty smile.”

“They were just having a flirtatious moment and he pulls it off and smiles broadly, and that one informal moment between two people remains, in that moment, the most significant clue to date in this entire case,” said the NYPD’s former deputy commissioner for counterterrorism intelligence said John Miller.

According to sources, the man used a fake New Jersey ID with a false name to check into the hostel at 891 Amsterdam Ave on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Investigators sealed off the room where he was staying and interviewed other guests.

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

Investigators believe the man may have arrived in New York City by bus ten days before the shooting.

Timeline of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO shooter’s moves

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

Minutes later, he shows up at a nearby Starbucks, two blocks from the Hilton Hotel.

According to sources told CBS News, police believe the suspect purchased a drink and a protein bar and paid for it in cash. The NYPD is currently conducting forensic tests on a discarded coffee cup.

Then, around 6:30 a.m., surveillance video obtained by The New York Times shows the suspect talking on a cellphone as he walks toward the hotel.

Sixteen minutes later, Thompson was killed.

“Delay” and “denial” are on the bullet points

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

“In all my years as a law enforcement officer, I have never seen a silencer before. “This was really shocking to all of us,” said New York Mayor Eric Adams.

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

Investigators are investigating whether… the words “delay” and “refuse” found written in Sharpie on bullet casingsprovide insight into a motive and may refer to a book called “Delay, Deny, Defend,” which supposedly criticizes tactics used by insurers.

Investigators are searching Central Park and believe the suspect left his backpack there. They also visit gun dealers in Connecticut, try to find out where the murder weapon was purchased, and transmit photos of the person in question into facial recognition technology.

“You can compare it to their employee databases, there are criminal databases, there are military databases, there are lots of places where there are images,” said Rich Esposito, CBS News law enforcement contributor.

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 calls are treated confidentially.