The detectives are seeking to acquire access to the mystery phone call made by the assassin who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson minutes before the slaying, in the hopes that it may reveal crucial information about the baffling case.
Just 15 minutes before the shooting, the assassin, who has supposedly been identified but whose name has yet to be disclosed, made a phone call on a burner phone.
The authorities later discovered an abandoned cell phone in an alley near the murder scene, which they suspect the assassin used to make the mysterious call. Authorities hope that by gaining access to the device, they can gather information that will lead to the suspect’s arrest.
It’s unclear who the call was made to or whether it was recorded, but veteran NYPD investigator Paul Mauro told Fox News that the device could still be used to track the connection and discover who was on the other end.
“If he was on a phone call right then – his phone was active — you can demolish the mobile tower. “You’ll need a search warrant for that, and there’s a lot of data,” Mauro explained. However, if the detectives can pinpoint the timing of the call, they can use tower data to determine both the cell phone number and the number dialed.
Former FBI inspector Bill Daly told Fox in a separate interview that investigators may discover where the burner phone was acquired, whether in New York City or elsewhere, which could reveal additional evidence about the killing.
On Wednesday at 6:44 a.m., a shooting occurred close outside the Hilton hotel on 54th Street near Sixth Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan. Two minutes later, the police were summoned, and four minutes later, they arrived on the scene to provide first aid to Thompson, who was bleeding on the ground.
Surveillance footage of the shooting shows the masked, hooded gunman take out a weapon with a silencer and shooting Thompson in the back. Blood sprays him, and he stumbles forward, as a witness having coffee in a nearby doorway looks up, notices what’s going on, and flees hurriedly.
The rifle jams briefly, and the gunman takes a moment to adjust it before firing more shots into Thompson’s limp corpse, including his leg. The shooter then runs, going up an alleyway connecting 54th and 55th Streets before returning to Sixth Avenue, climbing on an electric bike, and cycling into Central Park, where cameras lose him.
The cops believe Thompson was “specifically targeted” – the assassination occurred immediately after a series of threats his wife, Paulette, claimed he had received recently regarding healthcare coverage from his work.
Other surveillance footage later revealed that the gunman was without a mask in a New York City hostel and had purchased a Starbucks near the area of the incident around 30 minutes earlier. He bought a bottle of water, which was thrown away with the burner phone and two power bars, according to reports. He may have also ordered a coffee.
The analysis of the dumped goods could assist officials track down the gunman, who has yet to be apprehended. According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the gunman has already been identified, but his name has not yet been released so that he is not aware that he has been identified.
Adams is certain that they will find the man quickly. Investigators are also offering a $50,000 reward for anyone with information about the killer that leads to his arrest and prosecution.