We're pausing our live coverage as investigators continue to chase leads in what has turned into a three-day and multi-state manhunt. Here's the latest on what we know:

• The suspect linked to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is thought to have left New York, possibly on a bus headed for Atlanta, a person familiar with the matter has told CBS
• A backpack that police believe belonged to the suspect has been found in Central Park and sent for forensic testing, a police official said
• Police say the suspect scoped the area before implementing the attack in Manhattan on Wednesday morning, arriving on a bus that departed from Atlanta 10 days before the shooting
• Authorities say they are testing partial DNA from a water bottle and a candy wrapper left at the scene of the shooting, as well as a Starbucks coffee cup, that they believe are linked to the suspect
• Investigators have also found a fake ID and mobile phone from the suspected attacker
• The person of interest checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side, authorities said, where he was captured by surveillance cameras smiling at the receptionist, who said he was flirting with her
• The search for the suspect now extends beyond New York, with police in Atlanta confirming that they are aiding the investigation

Read more on what we know so far about the attack and investigation

Read more on who UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was

Another health insurer based in Minnesota has closed its main campus after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed in New York City on Wednesday.

While police have not established a motive for Wednesday's attack, Medica said in a statement reported by local media: "Although we have received no specific threats related to our campuses, our office buildings will be temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution.

The health insurer added: "Like other insurers, Medica also has removed from our website the bios of its executives, for the same precautionary reasons."

The NYPD has said this evening that the suspect went directly to the vicinity of the midtown Hilton hotel - where Thompson was fatally shot earlier this week - shortly after he arrived in New York on 24 November.

He spent about 30 minutes in the area before taking a cab to a hostel on the Upper West Side where he checked in, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said in a briefing.

Police have him leaving the hostel early on Wednesday morning, the day of the shooting, where he is again seen walking in the vicinity of the Hilton and stopping at a nearby Starbucks.

After the shooting, police last have him at 7:04 local time at 86th street and Amsterdam, where he takes a cab to the port authority bus terminal. They believe he took a bus from there but do not know which one.

Police have so far not found the bike he used the day of the shooting.

Police also said he had two roommates at the hostel who he did not know, and he kept his mask on around them the entire time.

They believe the gunman acted alone. They also do not believe that Thompson was targeted over anything related to his personal life.

The area around where the backpack was found in Central Park may also provide important clues for the police's investigation, according to a former FBI official.

"The area around the backpack will be significant. They’re going to process that. They’re going to look to see - can they match a shoe print? Is there some other evidence the suspect left behind? You can never have too much evidence in a prosecution in a case of this magnitude," Josh Skule, former FBI Executive Assistant Director for Intelligence, tells CNN.

Skule added the backpack may also carry DNA, hair and other fibres that could be crucial evidence.

Police believe they have found the grey backpack the suspect was carrying at the time of the attack on Wednesday, CBS, the BBC's US news partner reports, citing an NYPD official.

The bag, found in Central Park, has been sent for forensic testing and its content remains unknown, CBS adds.

Police had deployed drones to Central Park to search for the backpack earlier today.

An image released by police after the shooting showed the suspect wearing a grey backpack at the time of the attack. It is thought the suspect later discarded the backpack in the park.

Atlanta police have released a statement confirming they are assisting authorities in New York with the investigation.

The statement says: “As of this afternoon, on December 6, 2024, the Atlanta Police Department was contacted by NYPD and will now be providing assistance as needed.

"The NYPD is the lead agency in this investigation so please direct all questions to their Public Affairs Office."

A person of interest connected to Wednesday's shooting is thought to have arrived and possibly departed New York on buses originating in Atlanta, Georgia, sources familiar with the matter have told CBS News.

The NYPD is flying drones over New York's Central Park while searching for the suspect's backpack, which he is believed to have disposed of in the park, a person familiar with the matter told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

Images released by the police after the shooting in Manhattan showed the suspect wearing a distinctive grey backpack, which authorities are searching for.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told CNN "we're doing a full sweep of Central Park to find that backpack, which we believe he dropped in Central Park. We're using manpower, but we're also using our drones."

Central Park is 2.5 miles (4km) long and 0.5 miles (0.8km) wide, making it a sizeable area to search.

A person of interest linked to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have left New York City, a person familiar with the matter has told CBS News, the BBC's US news partner.

According to the source, investigators believe the person may have boarded a bus at the port authority bus terminal near Times Square bound for Atlanta, Georgia.

Atlanta police have announced that they have been contacted by the New York Police Department and will be providing assistance as needed.

The person of interest is also thought to have arrived in New York before the shooting on a bus that originated in Atlanta, though it's unclear if they got on the bus in Atlanta or at a later stop, CBS reported on Thursday.

New York is about 868 miles (1,396km) from Atlanta. A bus between the two destinations, with stops, takes about 18 hours.

New video obtained by CBS News, the BBC's US partner, appears to show the suspect walking west along 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan at 6:20 am on Wednesday, minutes after he visited a nearby Starbucks.

A suspect wearing the same outfit and backpack is believed to have then walked to the Hilton Hotel, where UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson was shot.

In the new video, the suspect appears to discard something in a pile of trash, before continuing on.

We now have some new details about how the person of interest in Brian Thompson's death arrived to New York City, 10 days before the shooting.

Police sources tell the BBC's US partner CBS News that the man arrived at the Port Authority bus terminal in Midtown Manhattan at around 21:00 local time on 24 November.

He was identified with surveillance video of him walking through the terminal, which they then used to trace him back to a Greyhound bus.

Police have said earlier that they believe the alleged suspect was on a bus that was coming from Atlanta, Georgia.

This method of travel, however, presents a challenge for investigators. He could have paid cash for his ticket, which does not require a valid ID for purchase, making it difficult to trace his identity.

Police are now working with the Port Authority to determine if he did use an ID at any point, according to CBS. They are also investigating at which point he purchased a bus ticket to New York.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from New York

Since the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson yesterday, many have taken to social media to express their frustrations with the US health care industry.

It is important to note that investigators have not suggested a motive for the killing or in any way tied it to Thompson's work. They are also still searching for the suspected shooter, as well.

The news of the shooting, and discussion around it, though, appears to have brought the public's long-simmering feelings about health insurance closer to a boil.

The American public has frustrations over the health care because it’s “a huge expense” for most people, says Christine Eibner, a senior economist at the non-profit think tank the RAND Corporation.

On top of that, Eibner says, insurance companies in recent years have been increasingly issuing denials for treatment coverage and making use of prior authorizations, a process which requires doctors to get approvals from health plans before they provide a service or prescription to make sure they are medically necessary.

These types of practices could be fuelling the online anger that we’ve seen since Thompson’s killing, Eibner says.

And what the shooter reportedly wrote on the bullets - including the word “deny” - could be a reference to insurance denials, Eibner added, though she cautioned that police have not confirmed the suspect's motive.

Eibner says United Healthcare has faced many lawsuits over this practice. But they are certainly not the only company accused of denying more claims, she says.

“It’s happening everywhere,” she says. “All insurance companies are doing this.”

Image source, Reuters

A quick reminder now on who Brian Thompson was and what the company he led, UnitedHealthcare, did.

Thompson, 50, joined UnitedHealthcare in 2004 - becoming the head of the company in 2021. He had previously worked for PwC. He lived in Minnesota and was visiting New York for an investor meeting.

A subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare runs doctor groups, hospice networks and surgical centres as well as working closely with government health insurance such as Medicare and Medicaid.

The company reported revenues in the third quarter of this year (July - September) of $74.9bn (£58.7bn).

It has 29.7 million domestic customers, according to results published in October.

Accusations that it has allegedly refused to pay for valid medical care claims have in some US states led to legal action and settlements. Regulators have also sued over the firm's proposed acquisitions, alleging its grip on the industry is too great.

The controversies have not put much of a dent in its business. Ahead of its investor day earlier this week, the firm was forecasting double digit revenue growth and profits of roughly 10% next year.

James Clayton
Technology reporter

Facial recognition technology is used by law enforcement in many cities in the US - and it can be incredibly useful to police.

Last year I was given access to one of the systems the police use - by a company called Clearview.

Before I was given access my colleague took a series of pictures of me on the street - from different angles and different levels of quality.

Some were pixilated and of bad quality. What surprised me is the system found me from the pictures. It’s powerful stuff.

That’s not to say it’s right all the time - and it raises a series of privacy questions.

The police often describe it as a "tip". The system throws up names the police can then cross-reference to see if they are potential suspects.

As I reported last year Clearview has been used more than a million times by US law enforcement.

Several detectives told me they viewed this technology as one of the biggest breakthroughs in crime solving in recent times. If you have your face uncovered on CCTV there is very chance the tech could find you.

Image source, Getty Images

Police in New York have been relying on footage from surveillance cameras to track the suspect's whereabouts.

This is possible thanks to the more than 15,000 surveillance cameras that are installed across Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

New York City is one of the most monitored municipalities in the US, and the vast CCTV infrastructure has earned New York the nickname of "surveillance city" in an Amnesty International report from 2021., external

“You are never anonymous," Matt Mahmoudi, an artificial intelligence and human rights researcher at the organisation, says in the report.

"Whether you’re attending a protest, walking to a particular neighbourhood, or even just grocery shopping – your face can be tracked by facial recognition technology using imagery from thousands of camera points across New York,” the report adds.

Our US partner CBS News has gleaned further details of the suspect's movements before the attack, using new video footage from around 30 minutes before the shooting.

As a reminder, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was pronounced dead shortly after 07:00 local time on Wednesday morning, here's a timeline of what we know:

• 05:00 local time - the suspect was seen near West 100th Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side, according to police
• 06:15 video footage, obtained by CBS News from a store on 6th Avenue, appears to show the suspect exiting a Midtown subway station
• 06:17 suspect seen inside a Starbucks beside the subway on 6th Avenue
• 06:39 the suspect walks approximately 0.2 miles, arriving at the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan - where the shooting took place
• 06:44 UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson walks from his hotel to the Hilton to address investors
• 06:46 the gunman shot Thompson twice from behind and ran towards an alley before cycling off toward Central Park, police say
• 06:48 the suspect is seen riding the e-bike on Center Drive in Central Park
• 06:59 the gunman is seen on video cycling out of the park on West 85th Street
• 07:12 Thompson was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai West Hospital

If you're just joining us, new details have emerged in the manhunt for a gunman who killed Brian Thompson.

• Police believe the gun used to carry out the shooting is a B&T Station SIX gun, a modern version of the British Welrod spy pistol used during World War Two
• Police are testing three bullet casings - which had the words "deny", "defend" and "depose" written on them - and three live rounds found at the scene for DNA
• A mobile phone was discovered in an alley on the suspect's escape route which police say they are "working through"

• Police said the shooting appeared to be a "premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack" and added that the gunman appeared to be familiar with weapons handling

More now from CBS, who have just reported the manhunt has become a multi-state search.

Officials add that this is an "important development" and it is likely that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) could take the lead on some elements of the case.

CBS also report that police have complied a portfolio of more than 200 images of the suspect that spans his arrival in New York City, the scene of the homicide and his escape route.

A series of those key images have since been distributed to around 80 major police departments across the US, and the New York Police Department has requested assistance of other police forces to help aid with the search.

Police say they are confident they will find him. "We're gonna get this guy," one official told CBS.

The search for the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has now become a multi-state manhunt, officials told the BBC's US partner CBS News.

Senior officials tell CBS that the span of the search includes two states - Connecticut and New Jersey - "at the very least".

Image source, NYPD

The search for the gunman who shot dead UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday continues, as police are hunting a suspect who was last seen on an e-bike in Central Park.

Here's what we know about the suspect so far:

• He arrived in New York on 24 November, having taken a Greyhound bus that began its journey in Atlanta - according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner
• While in New York, he checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side using a fake ID
• Minutes before the attack, he visited a Starbucks coffee shop, wearing a black facemask and a grey backpack

• The suspect fled the scene on foot and was last spotted on an e-bike in Central Park, as police say he appeared to be familiar with weapons handling
• Several images of the suspect have been released by New York City police, including two with his face uncovered after he pulled down his mask while flirting with a hostel receptionist

Image source, Getty Images

As the manhunt enters its third day, New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he believes the police will bring the alleged gunman to justice.

"We're on the right track," Adams tells a local television station.

"This person was fully masked and we used good old fashioned police work to come up with the picture you have," he adds.

The mayor is referencing the two recent pictures of the suspect released by law enforcement on Thursday, which revealed the suspect's full face for the first time.

They were captured by a surveillance camera at a New York hostel where the suspect was staying, with US media suggesting he pulled down his mask while flirting with a worker there.