ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police Department is now assisting the New York Police Department in the investigation into the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, which has captured the nation's attention.
APD released a statement on Friday saying the NYPD contacted the department and asked for its assistance.
The news comes a day after CNN reported the suspect traveled to New York by a Greyhound bus that originated in Atlanta prior to the shooting. Authorities have not said whether the suspect got on the bus in Atlanta or somewhere else, according to CNN.
According to the Associated Press, Brian Thompson, 50, was shot around 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday as he walked alone to the New York Hilton Midtown from a nearby hotel, police said.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the shooter appeared to have been “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind and opening fire.
“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch said, adding that the shooting "does not appear to be a random act of violence.”
Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows the shooter emerging from behind a parked car, stopping and pointing a gun at Thompson’s back, holding it with two hands and firing multiple times from several feet away. The suspect continues firing, interrupted by a brief gun jam, as Thompson stumbles forward and falls to the sidewalk. The shooter is then seen walking past Thompson and out of the frame.
Thompson was shot at least once in the back, and once in the calf, Tisch said. The shooter, who police said appeared to be a man wearing a jacket, face mask and carrying a backpack, fled on foot before pedaling an e-bike into Central Park a few blocks away.
One law enforcement official also told CNN that police believe the suspect arrived in New York City on Nov. 24. This is 10 days before the shooting occurred. The source said that he arrived at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan, went to a hostel, and appeared to have moved around the city afterward.
The official told CNN the suspect checked out of the hostel on Nov. 29. Multiple law enforcement sources previously told the news organization that he checked back into the hostel the next day on Nov. 30. It is also believed the suspect checked into the hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side using a fake New Jersey driver's license.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare," the insurer's Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., said in a statement.
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” UnitedHealth Group said. "We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.”