UnitedHealthcare CEO killing: police believe gunman has left New York

New York police believe the man who fatally shot a UnitedHealth top executive has left the city, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on Friday, as the hunt for the gunman passed the crucial 48-hour mark.

Brian Thompson, 50, the CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance unit, was shot in the back on Wednesday in what police described as a targeted attack.

Police have released multiple photos of the suspect – who fled the scene, climbed on an electric bicycle and disappeared into Central Park – and have asked the public for help in tracking him down.

Police on Friday recovered what they believe to be the suspect’s backpack in Central Park, CNN reported on Friday, citing unnamed police sources. The discarded backpack, potentially loaded with evidence, was missed on a first pass but found on a subsequent, expanded search through the 341-hectare (843-acre) park, CNN said.

Tisch said in an interview with CNN on Friday that authorities now believe he has left New York City, after new video emerged showing him arriving at the city’s main bus terminal.

New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, in the same interview, said the footage shows the suspect climbing into a taxi that took him to the Port Authority bus station.