NEW YORK — New York police searched Central Park’s lake again Sunday, hoping to recover evidence related to last week’s murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan.
As the manhunt continues, authorities announced Sunday that they are expanding their search.
NYPD Crime Stoppers
Law enforcement sources say NYPD and US Marshals Service investigators were dispatched to Atlanta and along stops on the Greyhound bus line between Atlanta and New York. They want to know where the person of interest boarded the bus that took him to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on November 24. They are also scouring Greyhound terminals and reviewing surveillance footage in an attempt to determine when he boarded the bus. bus.
The latest published images of the person of interest show it in the backseat of a taxi and another one just outside the taxiboth with his mask. The FBI released a poster announcing a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
“The net is tightening and we are going to bring this person to justice,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
NYPD
The only images believed to be of the person of interest without a mask were captured on surveillance cameras from inside an Upper West Side hostelwhere police sources claim he had a flirtatious encounter with the receptionist.
“The event was obviously well planned, but everyone makes mistakes and I think his mistake was probably pulling down his mask so the whole world could see who he is,” said retired police officer Tom Walsh .
NYPD divers return to Central Park lake on Sunday
NYPD divers searched the Central Park lake on Sunday after sources told CBS News New York that Saturday’s search was unsuccessful.
A woman told CBS News New York that she saw the dive teams in the lake on Saturday, but did not see them pull anything out.
“That corner was blocked off by probably five police officers, a van and we saw some diving equipment and a few divers coming in, splashing and looking in that area,” the witness said.
Update on the backpack found in the park
Friday, investigators found what is believed to be the person of interest’s backpack. It contained a jacket he was not wearing Wednesday, the day of what officials called the targeted shooting of Thompson, and counterfeit Monopoly money, but no weapon, sources close to the investigation. This area of the park is still blocked off by police tape.
The gun used to kill Thompson is critical to the investigation because it allows police to discover where it was purchased and who it belonged to. Police said a lack of concrete evidence is why they continue to call the man they are looking for a person of interest.
“They found the backpack here in Central Park, so it makes sense that it would be a good dump for a gun,” Walsh said.
The results of forensic tests on the backpack must still be known before determining whether it is linked to the shooter.
Law enforcement knows name of person of interest
The mayor said Saturday that law enforcement knew who they were looking for, but did not want to tip him off by announcing his name prematurely.
“We don’t want to disclose that right now. If you do, you’re basically tipping the person that we find…that we’re looking for, and we don’t want to give them the upper hand at all. can hide behind the mask,” Adams said.
