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New York authorities have released new photographs of the suspect accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan. The images were released by the New York Police Department (NYPD). In the first picture, a masked individual is sitting inside a taxi shortly after the incident. In the next frame, the suspect is walking on a street wearing a hooded top and a black down jacket.
One of the photographs shows the suspect gazing directly at a camera, seemingly communicating with the taxi driver through a partition window. While officials confirmed the suspect took a taxi near Central Park after the homicide outside the Hilton Hotel, they have not verified if the images are from that specific ride.
The NYPD is actively seeking public assistance in locating the suspect. Authorities have urged anyone with information to reach out through the NYPD helpline or send direct messages on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram.
????UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4.
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… https://t.co/U4wlUquumf pic.twitter.com/243V0tBZOr
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 8, 2024
According to CNN, the NYPD, collaborating with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, is intensifying its search for the suspect. Authorities believe the individual has left New York City but remain confident of his eventual capture.
"We had to go through lots of video evidence to get that one money shot with the mask down," police Commissioner Jessica Tisch was quoted as saying.
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the suspect's arrest and conviction, with an additional $10,000 from the NYPD. Photographs of the suspect have been distributed widely to law enforcement agencies, airports, and border patrol stations along the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders to prevent his escape from the country.
Key evidence gathered so far includes images of the suspect's unmasked face, video footage tracing his escape route, a Peak Design backpack containing Monopoly money and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, DNA from a discarded Starbucks water bottle, a partial fingerprint from the same bottle and 9 mm shell casings inscribed with the words "delay," "deny," and "depose," stated the CNN report.
But crucial items, including the murder weapon and the suspect's getaway bicycle, remain missing. Police divers recently concluded an extensive search of a Central Park lake, the iconic boathouse and Bethesda Fountain without locating the firearm.
Brian Thompson, 50, was gunned down on December 4 as he approached the New York Hilton Midtown on West 54th Street to attend his company's annual investor conference. Commissioner Tisch said the killer was "lying in wait" outside the hotel. Thompson was shot at least once in the back and once in the right calf and was later declared dead at a hospital.