Cops find plenty of clues in pursuit of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson’s assassin

As police continue to investigate the shocking murder of UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson and attempt to identify his killer, investigators have discovered new evidence at the crime scene, including a cell phone, a water bottle and a candy wrapper.

Around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday, Thompson, 50, was shot dead by a masked assassin outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, where he was scheduled to attend an investor meeting.

CCTV footage from around the crime scene shows the killer, who police said was wearing a tan or cream jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a gray backpack, shooting Thompson multiple times before running into a nearby building fled alley and escaped on an electric bike.

According to ABC News, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said a phone was recovered the alley through which the suspect fled.

A water bottle was also found that investigators believe may have been purchased at a nearby Starbucks that the shooter had visited before the shooting, investigators told CNN.

Additionally, according to ABC News, a candy wrapper was recovered in the same location as the water bottle, with investigators believing all three items are linked to the shooter. However, further tests are underway to confirm this.

Police told CNN they believe the shooter could have dropped some of the items as he fled.

As the police investigation continues, DNA or fingerprints from each of these three potential clues will prove crucial in identifying the assassin, who so far remains a mystery to investigators.

Sources told CNN that police found a video this morning on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that appeared to show the suspect carrying an electric bicycle battery.

Citing law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation, the media added that it is believed the suspect may have taken the subway from the Upper West Side to Midtown Manhattan. Investigators are reportedly trying to determine whether the attacker had positioned an electric bicycle in the area, which he likely used to escape after the shooting.

Although it was initially believed that the suspect fled on a Citi Bike, law enforcement officials reportedly told CNN and NBC that the e-bike used by the suspect was not a Citi Bike. Citi bikes are equipped with a GPS system that investigators originally hoped could help them catch the killer.

When asked by the Daily Beast about Citi Bike, a spokesperson for the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of public information referred to a press conference earlier Wednesday in which the NYPD stated that the suspect fled on foot before getting into an “electric “E-Bike” got on the “Citi Bike” and rode “north on the Avenue of Americas towards Central Park”.

The NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information also confirmed to the Daily Beast that the investigation is still active and ongoing.