New development in urgent manhunt for gunman in CEO killing as police piece together escape route

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NEW YORK -- An urgent manhunt is underway for the gunman who changeable and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson successful a "brazen, targeted attack" extracurricular a New York City edifice connected Wednesday. Police said successful a quality league connected Wednesday that the shooting was "premeditated."

The motive of the masked gunman remains unknown, constabulary said.

Thursday morning, a root told ABC News' Arron Katersky that constabulary person sought a hunt warrant for a determination successful the metropolis wherever they deliberation the fishy whitethorn person been staying.

This, arsenic constabulary searching for the suspected slayer are besides investigating whether the alleged shooter prepositioned an e-bike adjacent to the country of the incidental arsenic a means of escape, constabulary sources told ABC News.

The NYPD has isolated shots of the fishy  from a adjacent    Starbucks earlier  the shooting.

The NYPD has isolated shots of the fishy from a adjacent Starbucks earlier the shooting.

Investigators judge the shooter is proficient successful firearms but due to the fact that of what helium carried connected him and his attack during the killing, they bash not judge helium was a hitman.

Thompson, 50, was successful New York City for the UnitedHealthcare investors conference, which was scheduled to commencement astatine 8 a.m. His docket was wide known, constabulary sources said.

He was changeable respective times astatine adjacent scope extracurricular the Hilton Hotel -- wherever the league was being held -- astatine astir 6:40 a.m. by the intersection of West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue.

RELATED: Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally changeable successful NYC, remembered arsenic 'good father'

File photograph  of Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson.

File photograph of Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson.

Business Wire

The fishy -- who was caught connected surveillance cameras before, during and instantly aft the shooting -- had been lying successful hold adjacent the hotel.

After the shooting, helium fled connected ft into an alley, wherever a telephone believed to beryllium linked to the fishy was aboriginal recovered, constabulary sources said.

The fishy past fled connected a motorcycle and helium was past seen riding into Central Park astatine 6:48 a.m., constabulary said.

ALSO SEE: Who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson? What we cognize astir the fishy connected the run

Eyewitness News obtained these photos of the fishy  that matches the constabulary  description.

Eyewitness News obtained these photos of the fishy that matches the constabulary description.

The shooter was caught connected surveillance video astatine 5 a.m. the greeting of the shooting extracurricular Frederick Douglass Houses, a nationalist lodging task connected the Upper West Side, sources told ABC News.

That footage showed the fishy carrying what appeared to beryllium an e-bike battery.

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Investigators are gathering grounds arsenic the hunt for the fishy continues. The FBI -- which has the astir blase exertion for retrieving usable information from cellphones -- is assisting with the investigation, the constabulary sources said.

Police besides recovered a h2o vessel and candy wrapper from the country of the shooting which they judge are linked to the gunman. Fingerprint and DNA tests connected the items are ongoing, instrumentality enforcement sources told ABC News.

Detectives judge the gunman is not a nonrecreational killer, sources said. Bullet casings recovered astatine the country had the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" written connected them, constabulary sources said.

Thompson's wife, Paulette Thompson, said successful a connection that she was "shattered" by the "senseless killing."

"Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented antheral who genuinely lived beingness to the fullest and touched truthful galore lives," she said. "Most importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving begetter to our 2 sons and volition beryllium greatly missed."

Police impulse the nationalist to telephone Crime Stoppers astatine 1-800-577-TIPS with immoderate information.

ABC News' Mark Crudele and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

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