A man, a bike and a gun: Police search for evidence to solve the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO on the streets of New York
As the investigation into the fatal shooting of a health care executive in Manhattan enters its fifth day, police are missing key pieces of evidence and are combing through what they have gathered for more clues, as the suspect remains on the run.
The New York Police Department is getting help from the FBI and other law enforcement agencies across the country to search for the suspect, with the public being encouraged with rewards. Two new photos released by police show the suspect masked with a hood in the backseat of a vehicle and wearing a jacket walking on the street.
While authorities say they believe the suspect has long left New York City after fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, officials said they feel confident he will be captured.
“Let him continue to believe he can hide behind a mask,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said of the suspect. “We’re going to reveal who he is, and we’re going to bring him to justice.”
- The confirmed identity of the suspect
- The weapon used in the shooting
- The bicycle the suspect used to get away
And here are some of the key pieces of evidence they’ve gathered:
- Images of the suspect’s unmasked face
- Video evidence of the path he took to escape
- The backpack possibly worn by the suspect, with a jacket inside
- DNA from a discarded Starbucks water bottle
- A partial fingerprint from the water bottle
- A discarded “burner” cell phone
- 9 mm shell casings with the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” written on them
But crucially, there was no gun in the backpack.
That sent investigators back to the park. On Saturday, police divers searched a body of water known as the Lake, in an area of Terrace Drive near the park’s iconic boathouse and Bethesda Fountain, a law enforcement official said.
After recovering the Peak Design backpack from Central Park on Friday, police examined it at a forensic lab in Queens. Inside, they found Monopoly money, a law enforcement source told CNN. It also contained a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, and it was not immediately clear if other items were in the backpack, officials said.
There has still been no sign of the bicycle.