World
December 8, 2024 10:20
new york - Divers from the New York Police Department are combing through the largest pond in Central Park in search of the weapon used to murder UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thomson.
Divers from the New York Police Department are searching the largest pond in Central Park for the weapon used to murder UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thomson (60).
"Let him believe he can hide," said Mayor Eric Adams of New York about the suspect. "We will reveal who he is and we will bring him to justice." On Saturday, police divers searched a pond known as 'the lake' in Central Park near the iconic boathouse and Bethesda Fountain in the famous park.
On Friday, the Peak Design backpack was found in Central Park and examined by the police in a forensic laboratory in Queens. Inside the bag, they found Monopoly money, as reported by a police source to CNN. The backpack also contained a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, but the weapon believed to be used in the attack has not been found yet, officials stated. It was not immediately clear if there were any other items in the backpack, they added.
There is still no trace of the electric bike the shooter used to escape before taking a bus out of the city. According to the police, the man was spotted about 45 minutes after the shooting near the George Washington Bridge and the George Washington Port Authority bus station on 178th Street.
Meanwhile, photos of the suspect have been circulated at airports and border patrol posts along the Mexican and Canadian borders in hopes that he will not flee the country. The FBI is offering up to $50,000 in tip money, in addition to the $10,000 already provided by the police.
Thompson was shot early on the morning of December 4 on a busy street in Manhattan as he approached the New York Hilton Midtown on West 54th Street to attend his company's annual investor conference, according to Jessica Tisch, New York's police chief.
The shooter fled north on an electric bike on 55th Street, investigators told CNN. From there, the suspect headed towards Central Park. The murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO has shocked other healthcare companies and raised concerns about the safety of their own executives. Some have tightened security and removed photos of top executives from their websites.
According to Joseph Kenny, head detective of the New York Police, the backpack, photos, surveillance footage, leftover ammunition, a disposable phone, and a water bottle have brought investigators closer to finding the suspect. Kenny admitted they hit a dead end as the facial recognition software failed and a fingerprint turned out to be unusable.
Kenny is disappointed by the lack of public cooperation, as some depict the killer as a concerned citizen taking on a healthcare system where profit seems more important than human life. There are even individuals on social media mocking the CEO's death, according to CNN.
What is the next step in the investigation? The police are seeking as many tips as possible as the manhunt expands and authorities try to locate the suspect. Police officials believe the suspect left New York City on a bus traveling through different states, the same mode of transportation he used a few days earlier to enter the city. He traveled to New York from Atlanta, according to multiple police sources.
The Atlanta Police Department announced on Friday that investigative work in Atlanta will be supported. New York detectives arrived in Atlanta on Saturday as part of the investigation. In the meantime, the firearm remains the key piece of evidence the police are seeking, which could build a case against the shooter if found.