NEW YORK – Divers from the New York City Police Department were spotted searching Central Park Lake on Saturday afternoon. Sources tell CBS News New York they were looking for the weapon used the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson earlier this week outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
The search came a day later police found a backpack in Central Parkthat law enforcement officials say they believe belongs to the alleged gunman. Sources told CBS News New York that the backpack contained a jacket, but it did not the gun police believe it was used in the crime. The backpack is now being analyzed at an NYPD forensics lab for possible hair and DNA samples, sources said.
CBS News
Sources said divers were searching the lake around 3.30pm on Saturday. Video from the Citizen app shows police tape at the south end of the lake in Central Park, the same area where the backpack was found. Park visitors said they didn’t see officers get away with anything after the dive.
“This corner, like it’s not a big area, but this corner was blocked off with probably five cops, a van, and then we saw dive teams and a couple of divers coming in, splashing, looking just in this area.” said a witness named Charlotte D..
Police are closing in on a person of interest in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, mayor says
Mayor Eric Adams, speaking to reporters Saturday at a Police Athletic League event in Harlem, said police are reaching out to find the person of interest who had been staying at a hostel on the Upper West Side and was caught on camera without his mask on.
NYPD
Adams also said police know the name of the suspected gunman, but are not sharing it publicly.
“We don’t want to release it now. If you do that, you’re basically tipping the person … we’re looking, and we don’t want to give them any advantage. Let them keep doing it. thinks they can hide behind the mask Adams said.
According to the police, the person of interest was seen on camera entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Washington Heights after the shooting Wednesday morning and is now likely out of town.
The investigation is ongoing.