NYPD photo of UnitedHealth CEO shooting suspect.Photo:New York Police Department/Facebook
New York Police Department/Facebook
A backpack believed to belong to the man who fatally shotUnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompsonwas discovered in Manhattan’s Central Park containing Monopoly money, multiple outlets reported, citing law enforcement sources.
Per ABC News, the gray bag was found containing both the board-game money and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket. It was discovered hidden near the area of Heckscher playground, according to thePost.
Four law enforcement officials told NBC News that no gun was found inside the bag itself, while others added that it was unclear if the jacket found in the bag was the same jacket the suspect was captured wearing on surveillance video during the shooting.
The NYPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, Dec. 8.
NYPD photo of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson shooting suspect.New York Police Department/Facebook
Reports of a backpack being discovered come amid the NYPD releasing new images of the suspect in the early hours of Sunday, Dec. 8. The images, shared onX (formerly Twitter), show the apparent suspect from the view of a camera seemingly positioned inside the front of a taxi.
In the images, the man is pictured in a hoodie and jacket — seemingly different from the one he waspreviously photographed wearing— while also wearing a blue medical-style face mask.
The suspect was photographed both walking outside of the vehicle and sitting inside the back of it, as he looked through a partition between the back and front of the cab.
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“UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4,” the NYPD’s news account wrote on X, while quoting a previous Dec. 5 post containing images of the suspect.
“The full investigative efforts of the NYPD are continuing, and we are asking for the public’s help — if you have any information about this case, call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Additionally, you can DM @NYPDTips on X or on Instagram. There is a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction,” the police department continued.
NYPD photo of shooting suspect.NYPD News/X
NYPD News/X
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch toldCNNthat investigators now have “reason to believe” the suspect involved in the shooting isno longer in New York.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny added that, after leaving Central Park, the man was spotted walking around 86th Street and Columbus Avenue — more than 30 blocks north of the crime scene. A cab reportedly took him to a bus center on 178th Street and Broadway.
“Those buses are interstate buses," Kenny said. “That’s why we believe he may have left New York City.”
CNN also reported that police believe the suspected gunman came to New York via abus that originally departed from Atlantaover a week before the shooting.
ABC News said, citing police, that the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were discovered on shell casings at the scene.
source: people.com