New images show UnitedHealthcare CEO killing suspect in taxi
NEW YORK - New images released by police late Saturday show the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson boarding a taxi.
The first shows him outside the vehicle and the second shows him looking through the partition between the back seat and the front of the cab. In both, his face is partially obscured by a blue, medical-style mask.
NYPD divers return to Central Park on Sunday, as they searched for evidence, including the gunman's firearm.
Police believe that after stalking and shooting the Fortune 500 CEO in the ambush attack early Wednesday, the gunman boarded a bike, ditched evidence in Central Park, then hailed a taxi cab on the Upper West Side.
The cab took the gunman to George Washington Bridge Bus Station, where the killer likely boarded a bus to flee New York City, investigators believe.
Though police still do not know the name of the suspect, they have images of him briefly showing his smile at the Upper West Side hostel where he stayed after arriving in New York City on Nov. 24.
A person of interest in the ambush killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
With the high-profile search expanding across state lines, the FBI announced late Friday that it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, adding to a reward of up to $10,000 that the NYPD has offered. Police say they believe the suspect acted alone.
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What do the police know?
They know he ambushed Thompson at 6:44 a.m. as the executive arrived at the Hilton for his company’s annual investor conference, using a 9 mm pistol that resembled the guns farmers use to put down animals without causing a loud noise. They know ammunition found near Thompson’s body bore the words "delay," "deny" and "depose," mimicking a phrase used by insurance industry critics.
Kenny said the fact that the shooter knew UnitedHealthcare group was holding a conference at the hotel and what route Thompson might take to get there suggested that he could possibly be a disgruntled employee or client.
Retracing the killer's steps
Before the shooting
Police have determined from video that the gunman was in the city for 10 days before the shooting. He arrived at Manhattan’s main bus terminal on a Greyhound bus that originated in Atlanta, though it's not clear whether he embarked there or at one of about a half-dozen stops along the route.
Immediately after that, he took a cab to the vicinity of the Hilton and was there for about a half hour, Kenny said.
At around 11 p.m. on the night he arrived, he went by taxi to the HI New York City Hostel. It was there, while speaking with an employee in the lobby, that he briefly pulled down the mask and smiled, giving investigators the brief glimpse they are now relying on to identify and capture a killer.
The shooter paid cash at the hostel, presented what police believe was a fake ID and is believed to have paid cash for taxi rides and other transactions. He didn't speak to others at the hostel and almost always kept his face covered with a mask, only lowering it while eating.
After the shooting
Investigators know from surveillance video that the shooter fled into Central Park on a bicycle and ditched it around 7 a.m. near 85th Street.
He then walked a couple blocks and got into a taxi, arriving at 7:30 a.m. at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, which is near the northern tip of Manhattan and offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington. Investigators don't know what happened next.
What evidence do police have so far?
Aside from the images of the suspected gunman released to the public, footage from surveillance cameras has let police retrace the shooter’s movements.
On Friday evening, investigators found a backpack in Central Park that had been worn by the gunman, police said. They didn’t immediately reveal what, if anything, it contained but said it would be tested and analyzed. Images from FOX 5 NY show officers guarding a brown bag filled with clothing.
Police guard a brown bag in Central Park during the investigation into CEO Brian Thompson's killing
Another potential clue, a fingerprint on an item he purchased at a Starbucks minutes before the shooting, has so far proven useless for identifying him, Kenny said.
Police divers were seen searching a pond in Central Park but it's unclear if they found anything.
Backpack linked to CEO killer found in Central Park
Police officials say the gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer likely left New York City on a bus soon after fleeing the scene on a bicycle and hopping in a cab. But he left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park.
What don't we know?
Police don't know the shooter's name or where he headed after going into the bus station near the GWB.
They are searching through more surveillance video but have yet to locate video of the shooter getting on a bus or exiting the station.