The manhunt for the cold-blooded killer who gunned down UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown entered its second day Thursday — and investigators have no shortage of leads.
In addition to the chilling first image of the masked suspect’s face — in which he grins broadly — NYPD detectives and FBI agents have been piecing together the clues and piecing together a trail of evidence that they hope will lead to the still-unidentified killer.
These are the most important clues:
A rare spy rifle from World War II
The killer may have used a modern version of a rare World War II spy rifle, and investigators hope to track down its purchase, sources told The Post.
The weapon used by the gunman in the slaying outside the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue appears to be a B&T VP9, an update of the Welrod pistol — a suppressed firearm developed in World War II, sources said.
A recent purchase of that gun by a Connecticut gunmaker was an investigative lead in the manhunt, according to sources.
But the killer’s weapon had still not been found almost two days after the shooting, meaning the connection was not yet definitive.
Disturbing surveillance video of the shooting showed the gunman using a pistol with a silencer, seemingly expertly pulling the slide apart with each shot.
A hostel on the Upper West Side
Investigators tracking the suspected killer’s path through Manhattan were sent to the HI New York City Hostel along Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side, sources said.
The surveillance image showing the suspect’s full, smiling face was taken at the hostel, the sources said.
A swarm of plainclothes NYPD officers and FBI agents searched the hostel on Wednesday, residents told The Post.
The suspect appears to have used a fake New Jersey ID to check into the hostel on Nov. 30, sources said.
But investigators also found signs that the killer had been in New York City since Nov. 24, though sources say it’s unclear where he was staying before checking into the hostel.
The search for the killer’s electric bicycle and backpack continues
The electric bicycle that the gunman used to ride up Sixth Avenue and into Central Park after coldly slaughtering Thompson around 6:46 a.m. remained missing Thursday.
NYPD officials originally identified the killer’s ride as a Citi Bike, but representatives from parent company Lyft later said police confirmed they no longer believe the suspect was using one of their bikes.
A law enforcement source said the suspect may have taken the subway from the hostel, carrying a backpack with a battery for the bicycle.
Video released Thursday showed the suspect casually strolling out of the 57th Street subway station in Midtown about 30 minutes before the shooting.
In the video, the suspect is seen wearing a distinctive gray backpack, as well as other footage of the shooting itself.
But sources said other video shows the suspect leaving Central Park on West 77th Street without the backpack — prompting a massive search for the pack Wednesday that was unsuccessful.
Burner phone, water bottle and fingerprints
Police continued to search a so-called burner phone — a prepaid cell phone without a contract, making it difficult to trace — which was found in an alley near the scene of the shooting.
Fingerprints were recovered when police processed both the phone and a water bottle nearby, sources said.
The suspect was seen talking on the phone while on his way to the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue about ten minutes before the murder.
Officials believe the water bottle is one of two he purchased at a Starbucks at West 56th Street and Sixth Avenue, just a few minutes’ walk from the hotel.
— Additional reporting by Ronny Reyes
