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A largescale manhunt for the suspect in the unexpected death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is still underway as of Thursday night, one day after the mysterious shooting.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) has not named a suspect in the shooting, but images of a person of interest in the case were released by the department on Thursday afternoon. The department also said the case does not appear to be random, but a motive for the shooting is not clear.
Here are the biggest developments in the case:
NYPD releases images of a person wanted for questioning in the case
The NYPD on Thursday shared an image of a man without a mask on that they say is a “person of interest” in the case. The man was clad in a hoodie, with a black backpack on his shoulders.
The alleged suspect in the case did have a mask on in footage of the alleged murder.
Suspect stayed at a hostel in New York City under a fake identity
Several news reports have indicated that the suspected shooter stayed a hostel on New York’s Upper West Side, and checked in with a fake identification card.
The same ID, which claimed he was from New Jersey, was used to check into the hostel on Nov. 30, per CNN.
Multiple law enforcement officials also told the outlet that the suspect took a greyhound bus from Atlanta to New York prior to the shooting.
The officials said they believe the suspect arrived in New York on Nov. 24, which is 10 days before the shooting took place. The suspect had checked into the hostel on Nov. 24, then checked out on Nov. 29, before checking back in on Nov. 30.
Suspected shooter used cash at various places, including hostel and Starbucks
The suspected shooter appeared to be good at covering his own tracks, by using cash to pay for as much as possible.
The hostel that the man was staying at told CNN that a masked man in a hoodie paid for his lodging with cash.
Footage of a man that matched the person of interest’s description showed the man stopped at a Starbucks, where he also paid for water and a protein bar with cash, according to employees at the store. The footage was taken prior to the shooting.
NYPD expedites the testing of DNA samples of the person of interest
New York police were able to locate a water bottle and protein bar wrapper that the person of interest discarded, according to the Associated Press. Both items have been sent to a crime lab for DNA and fingerprint testing.
CNN also reported that officials found a phone they believe could belong to the shooter, which could give them more information about the man’s identity, even if it is a burner phone.
Police conduct search of Central Park for suspect’s missing backpack
NYPD said it was able to track the suspect to Central Park, which he fled to on a bicycle. The department has searched the New York park for the suspect’s missing gray backpack that he wore during the shooting, but were not able to locate it.
A police official said they conducted a grid search of the park, and looked through garbage cans, dumpsters, and bushes to no avail. NYPD was later able to spot the man leaving the park on security footage, and did not have the backpack.
Police officials did not indicate what would be in the backpack, but have not been able to track down the murder weapon.
The NYPD encouraged people with any information on the shooting to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The department is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.