The FBI is now offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information about the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“The FBI’s New York Field Office is assisting the New York City Police Department in seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the unknown suspect responsible for the shooting death,” the agency said in a brief statement accompanied by two photos of the suspect.
Late Friday night, New York police said they found a backpack in Central Park that could be linked to the murder and were sending it for forensic processing.
#FBINewYork is assisting @NYPDNews in seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the unknown suspect responsible for the shooting death of a 50-year-old male victim in Midtown Manhattan. https://t.co/VUQtPevCpC pic.twitter.com/gGp8Ss8Qne — FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) December 7, 2024
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters Friday that they believe the guy rode his bike into the park before boarding a bus.
Thompson, 50, was fatally shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel in Manhattan early Wednesday morning by an unknown assailant wearing a mask. According to police, the gunman waited outside for Thompson.
Later that day, the NYPD released the photographs, which looked to have been acquired from security camera footage.
A manhunt for the culprit has now spread across numerous states, with authorities believing the man in the images used a phony ID from New Jersey to reserve a bed at a New York City hostel prior to the shooting.
On Friday, authorities said they believe the person of interest took a bus from Atlanta to New York.
According to the New York Post, forensics experts are currently investigating a water bottle for DNA as well as a cell phone thought to have been used by the unnamed suspect. Officials had earlier collected rounds from the area for analysis.
Thompson’s wife claims he had previously received death threats.