Suspect Seen in Starbucks Just Before CEO's Murder

The suspect who allegedly shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Wednesday morning was spotted in a nearby Starbucks not long before the brazen murder. Police released photos from the coffee shop's surveillance camera showing a man wearing a black hooded jacket, a black mask or balaclava covering much of his face, and the same "distinctive" gray backpack also seen in surveillance footage of the shooting (see the first three photos in our gallery). Sources tell CBS News the images may show enough of his face so that facial recognition technology can be used as the manhunt for the suspect continues. He was spotted in Starbucks at 6:17am, and Thompson was shot at 6:44am, CNN reports.

While at the coffee shop, he bought two power bars and a bottle of water, and police later found a water bottle and a phone, which they believe may have belonged to the suspect, in an alley he ran through after the shooting. It's possible the water bottle could offer DNA, and police are also processing the phone as well as evidence from Starbucks for possible fingerprints. Three bullets and three casings found at the crime scene are also being analyzed, but no gun has yet been found, the BBC reports. Police have not released a possible motive, but they have said the attack is believed to have been a targeted one, and Thompson's wife said he had received threats in the past.

Police also recently clarified that the suspect did not flee on a Citi Bike, as had been previously reported, which means the e-bike he fled on is likely not trackable via GPS. Police have also obtained surveillance video from earlier in the morning of the shooting showing the suspect walking through Manhattan's Upper West Side carrying what appears to be an e-bike battery, and sources say they are investigating whether he pre-positioned a bike in the area of the shooting. He is believed to have taken the subway from the Upper West Side to Midtown, where Thompson was shot as he entered the insurance company's annual investor conference. (The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony went on despite the manhunt for the suspect.)