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Law enforcement officials believe that a backpack discovered in Central Park on Friday night belonged to the shooter responsible for killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a source told CNN.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) began searching the park on Thursday, after video footage of a person of interest in the shooting showed him fleeing to Central Park on a bicycle. 

Images of the person of interest were released by the department on Thursday, and showed him clad in a hoodie with a black backpack on his shoulders. 

Investigators have not confirmed that the backpack that was found in Central Park was the one in the photograph, but have sent the backpack to a lab for testing. The item was discovered between some boulders south of the park’s carousel.

The backpack has also not been opened yet, but could contain the gun that was used in the shooting. The backpack will be opened when it gets to the laboratory, the source told CNN. The gun and the bicycle that the suspected shooter used to get away have not been recovered so far. 

NYPD on Friday said it does not believe the suspected shooter is still in New York City, because video footage showed him arriving at a bus station but not leaving it. 

“Those buses are interstate buses. That’s why we believe he may have left New York City,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. “We have video of him entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal. We don’t have any video of him exiting so we believe he may have gotten on a bus.”

The FBI is now helping with the investigation, along with the Atlanta Police Department, according to Fox News. The bus that the suspect used to get into New York City on Nov. 24 originated out of Atlanta. 

Anyone with information about the shooting, or the suspect, is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.