Exactly how suspected New York CEO killer made his escape from one of the busiest streets in the city
On 4 December, American health insurance CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead on a New York street by an unknown assassin.
The killer was wearing a hood and mask to cover their identity, but police believe they know their immediate movements right after the shooting occurred.
Police released an image of a 'person of interest' following the assassination who is now wanted for questioning.
New details about the case and the movements of the suspected killer prior to the shooting have also been reported.
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ABC 7 reported that the suspect had arrived in New York in November on a bus from Atlanta, though which stop they boarded at is unknown, and checked into the HI New York City Hostel on 30 November using an ID that wasn't theirs.
As for the suspected assassin's movements on the day of the shooting itself, only a few minutes are known and investigators are working to piece together more clues about who the shooter was and where they might have gone.
The shooting
Shortly before the shooting, the suspect was seen on CCTV footage in a Starbucks before going to wait outside the hotel, where several other people passed by leading police to believe this was a 'targeted' attack.
Brian Thompson was shot dead as he left the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue in New York City at around 6:45am on 4 December.
As he left the hotel, someone walked up behind him and fired three shots, killing the 50-year-old.
The casings of the bullets fired into Thompson had the messages 'deny', 'defend' and 'depose' written on them, which some believe is a reference to the phrase 'delay, deny, defend' that is used by critics of the American health insurance industry to describe tactics companies use to avoid paying out.
During the shooting the assassin appeared to have their weapon jam on them, but cleared it and made their escape.
The alleyway
The suspect then left Sixth Avenue on foot and went down an alleyway between New York's 54th Street and 55th Street.
Police did later recover some evidence including a burner phone and a water bottle which are being used as part of the investigation as detectives try and learn the identity of their suspect.
The e-bike
Arriving at West 55th Street, the shooter then walked back onto Sixth Avenue where he got onto an e-bike.
The bike had originally been identified as a Citi Bike, but the company that operates them said that police later confirmed they now do not believe that the suspected assassin used one of their bikes.
They rode north on Sixth Avenue towards Central Park.
Security expert Will Geddes told LADbible that using a bike to get away would be an effective method of escape for the suspect as it allows someone to go places they couldn't if they were in a car or motorcycle.
Central Park
The suspect rode the e-bike into Central Park at 6:48am, just minutes after Thompson was shot dead.
From here, CCTV cameras lost track of them and it is not known by which exit they left the park.
Geddes again noted that escaping into Central Park was an effective idea, and suggested that the assassin likely 'had another layer of clothing underneath what he was wearing'.
He explained that getting into Central Park to slip the CCTV footage and then changing clothes in Central Park would make it hard for police to spot them.
The person who shot Brian Thompson was wearing a grey backpack which could help serve as an identifying feature.
The getaway
From Central Park the movements of the suspected killer become harder to track, as unless investigators can figure out where they exited the park from picking up their trail will be very difficult.
Investigations are being carried out on the items left behind in the shooting, with DNA or fingerprint evidence on the bottle or phone potentially the next lead.
Topics: Crime, New York, US News, Luigi Mangione
Joe Harker