NEW YORK — The NYPD searched the lake in Central Park again Sunday, hoping to recover evidence linked to last week’s murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan.
As the manhunt for the gunman continues, officials said on Sunday they’re narrowing their search.
NYPD Crime Stoppers
The latest images released of the person of interest police are looking for show him in the backseat of a taxi, still with his mask on, and another shows him just outside of the cab. The FBI released a poster highlighting a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
“The net is tightening and we’re going to bring this person to justice,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
NYPD divers return to Central Park lake on Sunday
NYPD divers searched Central Park’s lake on Sunday after sources told CBS News New York that Saturday’s search was unsuccessful.
A woman told CBS News New York she saw the dive teams in the lake on Saturday, but didn’t see them come out with anything.
“This corner was blocked off with probably five policemen, one van and we saw scuba gear and a couple divers getting in, just kind of splashing around, looking in this area,” the witness said.
Investigators found what is believed to be the person of interest’s backpack containing a jacket on Friday in the park. That area is still blocked off by police tape.
Forensic testing results on the backpack still need to come in before determining whether it’s linked to the shooter, who gunned down Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Wednesday.
Law enforcement knows the name of the person of interest
The mayor said on Saturday that law enforcement knows who they are looking for, but don’t want to tip him off by announcing his name prematurely.
“We don’t want to release that now. If you do, you are basically giving a tip to the person we are find … we’re seeking, and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all. Let him continue to believe he can hide behind the mask,” Adams said.
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 hostel, where police sources say he had a flirtatious encounter with the front desk employee.
Police sources say investigators with the NYPD and U.S. Marshals Service have been dispatched to Atlanta and along the Greyhound bus route stops between Atlanta and New York City. They want to find out where the suspect boarded the bus that took him to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Nov. 24, and are canvassing the Greyhound terminals and reviewing surveillance footage in an effort to pin down at what point he boarded the bus.
