A manhunt continues for the masked gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York City hotel as police uncover more evidence that is potentially linked to the suspect of interest.
Investigators uncovered a backpack in Central Park that is believed to have belonged to the suspected shooter late Friday. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Saturday “the net is tightening” around the suspect.
He added that law enforcement officials do not want to release the suspect’s name at this time.
“If we do, we are basically giving a tip to the person we are seeking and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all,” Adams said.
The FBI has also joined the investigation, offering a $50,000 reward for information.
Police have video of the man entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal after fleeing the scene of the shooting on a bicycle, but no video of him exiting, leading them to believe he left the city, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN.
The gunman was masked during the shooting and used a fake New Jersey ID to book a room at the HI New York City Hostel, but pulled down the covering during a flirty exchange with a clerk. Police say he arrived in New York after taking a Grayhound bus that originated in Atlanta, Georgia last month.
Watch: Surveillance footage shows UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect exiting subway station
ICYMI: Major break in search for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer came from a flirty moment with hostel receptionist
Clear surveillance images released by the New York Police Department on Thursday showed the “person of interest wanted for questioning” unmasked in Wednesday’s killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as the manhunt enters its third day.
The images reportedly capture the moment the suspect was “flirting” with a female worker of the hostel in the city’s Upper West Side where he was staying, law enforcement officials told ABC News.
Full story: NYPD probes theory UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer could be ‘disgruntled employee or client’
“This isn’t ‘Blue Bloods,’” Kenny said at a press conference on Friday, referring to a popular TV show starring Tom Selleck. “We’re not going to solve this in 60 minutes. We’re painstakingly going through every bit of evidence that we can come across.”
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UnitedHealthcare parent company’s CEO warns employees not to speak to media, promises heightened security
Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s parent company UnitedHealth Group, warned employees to not speak to the media in the wake of Brian Thompson’s death, reporter Ken Klippenstein reports.
“I’d like to give you a little bit of advice around the media,” Witty said in an address to employees, according to a recording shared by Klippenstein.
“My strong advice and request to everybody is just don’t engage with the media,” Witty added. “If you’re approached, I would recommend not responding and, if necessary, simply refer them to our own media organization.”
He also addressed employee concerns about safety, according to another portion of the recording shared by CNN.
“I know people are nervous around security and safety, and you will be seeing during the rest of the day, over the weekend and next week, a continued hardening of our security defenses on site across the country,” Witty said.
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Suspect could be ‘disgruntled’ employee or client, police say
Police are coming closer to identifying the motive behind the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“It could possibly be a disgruntled employee or a disgruntled client,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
Investigators say the suspect has likely left New York City.
NYC Mayor says ‘net is tightening’ on suspect
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said “the net is tightening” around the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Adams said law enforcement officials do not want to release the suspect’s name at this time.
“If we do, we are basically giving a tip to the person we are seeking and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all,” Adams said. “Let him continue to believe he can hide behind the mask. We revealed his face. We’re going to reveal who he is and we’re going to bring him to justice.”
Source: independent.co.uk