UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting latest: NYPD divers search Central Park pond as new photos of suspect released
New images come after police found the UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect’s backpack in Central Park containing two items: a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money
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Divers with the New York Police Department searched a Central Park pond for the gun used by the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Police say the shooter may have used a veterinary gun, which is a larger, quieter firearm typically used by farmers to put animals down. Meanwhile, officials released two new photos of the suspected shooter. In the images, shared late on Saturday night, the unnamed accused gunman is captured outside a taxi and then in the back of the cab. A medical mask is again covering his face.
The images come as police continue to uncover more evidence in the case. Officers found the suspect’s backpack in Central Park late Friday. Inside was two items: a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money, sources told ABC News.
While New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted “the net is tightening” around the suspect, much remains a mystery as of Sunday morning. With the manhunt now entering its fifth day, the killer’s identity and his motive is still unknown.
Some NYPD investigators arrived in Atlanta Saturday as the manhunt goes multi-state.
NYPD probes theory UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot with a ‘veterinary gun’
UnitedHealthcare CEO’s masked shooting suspect seen in new photos in back of taxi
Who is Brian Thompson? Everything we know about UnitedHealthcare CEO murdered in Manhattan
The unanswered questions: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder leaves trail of unknowns
See it: Officers patrol area where investigators searched for suspect’s firearm
Right-wing influencer Ben Shapiro decries social media response to CEO’s death
Right-wing influencer Ben Shapiro posted a video this week to his YouTube channel with more than 7 million subscribers titled, “The EVIL Revolutionary Left Cheers Murder!”
“The murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson brings with it a wave of sympathy…for the murderer,” Shapiro wrote in the video’s description.
Thompson’s death has prompted a much larger conversation on social media about the American insurance industry. Many posters have shared dark jokes on social media while revealing stories of injustices in the healthcare system, as The Independent previously reported.
Some commenters who claim they share Shapiro’s political views say they don’t agree with his video.
“Wow... I’m a conservative but Ben’s view on this is making me realize he really doesn’t care about the American people,” one commenter wrote.
“I have an uncle who is as conservative as they come, voted for Trump and everything,” another commenter wrote. “We have very little in common and avoid each other at holiday parties. I can tell you we both wept when my dad slowly died of cancer while the insurance he PAID FOR kept denying him life-saving care. We both saw the injustice in that.”
Watch: Ex-FBI agent says Brian Thompson shooter ‘trained for his mission’
UnitedHealthcare CEO’s masked shooting suspect seen in new photos in back of taxi
The New York Police Department has released new photos of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
In the two new pictures, released Saturday night, the suspect is seen wearing a black coat and a medical mask as he gets into the back of a cab.
This comes after police released the first unmasked photo of the suspect earlier in the week — an image captured after the suspect lowered his mask during a “flirtatious” encounter with a Manhattan hostel clerk.
Read on:
UnitedHealthcare CEO’s masked shooting suspect seen in new photos in back of taxi
Police are looking into the possibility that the murder weapon used to kill Brian Thompson is a veterinary gun
ICYMI: US border patrol on lookout for suspect
Police have briefed US border patrol agents at both borders to keep an eye out for the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, CNN reports.
Investigators believe the suspect left New York City via bus after they found security footage of him entering Port Authority Bus Terminal, but did not find footage of him leaving.
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information on the suspect.
ICYMI: NYPD officers arrive in Atlanta to continue manhunt
New York Police Department officers arrived in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday to continue their investigation into the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to CNN.
Police say the suspect arrived in New York City on November 24 after jumping on a Greyhound bus departing from Atlanta, Georgia. However, officials are not yet sure exactly where he boarded.
Atlanta police are assisting with the investigation.
The FBI joined the investigation earlier this week as well, offering a $50,000 reward for information on the suspect.
Colin Jost jokes about ‘hot’ UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter in SNL’s ‘Weekend Update’
The suspect in the shooting death earlier this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took center stage during Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update,” with hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che needling the NYPD for not yet having caught the insurance executive’s killer.
“This week, New York City officials sent a tough message on crime: If you shoot somebody in the middle of the street, you better get on your bike, hop on a bus, and get the heck out of here, mister,” Jost said.
Read on:
Colin Jost jokes about ‘hot’ UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter in SNL’s ‘Weekend Update’
As the search continues, a surveillance photo of the suspect’s unmasked face has inspired legions of thirsty fans
Several insurance companies pulled down executive biography webpages after Brian Thompson killing
Days after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was killed in Manhattan, major health insurance companies are removing information about their top executives from their websites.
Police are still searching for the gunman who fatally shot Brian Thompson near the New York Hilton Midtown early Wednesday morning in what appeared to be a targeted killing.
In the aftermath of the deadly shooting, UnitedHealthcare took down its “leadership” page, WebArchive shows, and the page once containing biographies about its executives now bounces to the insurance company’s homepage with no information about those running the company.
Read more:
Several insurance giants yank leadership webpages after Brian Thompson gunned down
Health insurance giants appear taking steps to protect their executives as UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer remains at large
Leaked video shows UnitedHealth Group chief complaining about ‘vitriolic’ coverage of Brian Thompson shooting
Three days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally gunned down by a masked man lying in wait outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, the head of the insurer’s parent company addressed anxious staff in a video sent to all US employees.
In it, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty told underlings that their work was “critical” in preventing the US medical system from providing “unnecessary” care he claimed would eventually drive up costs to an “unsustainable” level – as he complained about the “vitriolic” media coverage of the shooting.
Continue reading:
UnitedHealth Group chief complains about media coverage of Brian Thompson shooting
‘I encourage you to tune out that critical noise that we’re hearing right now,’ UnitedHealth Group chief Andrew Witty told employees
How did police find an unmasked photo of the suspect?
New York Police Department investigators were able to find and release unmasked photos of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO thanks to a flirty moment with a hostel receptionist.
Images released by the NYPD Thursday showed the suspect unmasked. When the images were captured, the suspect was “flirting” with a woman who worked at the Upper West Side hostel he stayed in, law enforcement officials told ABC News.
Read the full story from The Independent’s Rhian Lubin:
Major break in search for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer came from a flirty moment
The surveillance images reportedly capture the moment the suspect was flirting with a female worker of the hostel where he was staying