UnitedHealthcare CEO killing: New pics of suspects released, gunman had Monopoly money in bag

As the hunt for the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson goes on, the New York Police Department has released two new photos of the suspect that were believed to be captured from a dashcam mounted inside a taxi.

The first photo shows the gunman walking near the parked vehicle and the second image shows him peeking his head out through the partition between the back seat and front seat of a car. In both the photos, he is seen wearing a blue face mask.

According to sources having knowledge of the investigation into the case, police officials recovered a backpack in Central Park that was believed to have belonged to the suspect and contained only two items – a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money, ABC News reported.

Police say that the gunman, whose name was still not known, was believed to have left New York City by bus soon after shooting Thompson dead on December 4. New York police’s chief of detectives, Joseph Kenny, said the suspect was seen on video at an uptown bus station around 45 minutes later.

Thompson, 50, died after being shot in the back and leg outside a hotel in Manhattan, where he was attending an annual investor conference. Police termed the shooting as a targeted attack.

Video footage showed the gunman riding a bicycle into Central Park and later taking a taxi to a bus terminal that offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington DC.

The gunman arrived in New York City on November 24, having travelled on a bus from Atlanta. He checked into a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side using a fake identification card and paying in cash.

Earlier photos of the suspect, taken in the hostel lobby, showed him smiling and ostensibly flirting with the receptionist, providing one of the few unmasked glimpses of the individual.

The FBI joined the investigation and offered a USD 50,000 reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest.

Investigators continued to probe for clues and conduct intensive searches in New York, including at a pond, where the backpack was recovered. Police divers were also used in the pond to look for any leads.

Authorities have identified the gunman and were closing in on him, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was quoted as saying on Saturday by the New York Post. “The net is tightening,” he said.

Police also recovered bullet casings with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” inscribed on them at the scene. The words echo the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” often used by critics of insurance companies that delay payments, deny claims, and defend their actions.