The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday (December 6) is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the man wanted for the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Health’s insurance unit.

Thompson, 50, was shot in the back on Wednesday (December 4) 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.

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

Investigators on Friday recovered from Central Park a backpack they believe to be the suspect’s, CNN reported, 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 843-acre (341-hectare) park, CNN said.

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

New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, in the same interview, said the video shows the suspect climbing into a taxi that took him to a Port Authority bus station near the George Washington Bridge in Upper Manhattan.

The expanded hunt comes after security experts cautioned that the first 48 hours after such a crime are the best window of opportunity to catch a gunman, a timeframe that has now passed.

Police have yet to identify the suspect, at least not publicly. They believe he arrived in New York 10 days before the shooting on a Greyhound bus that originated in Atlanta and checked into a Manhattan youth hostel using a fake ID from New Jersey, several media outlets reported. Reuters has not independently verified this account.

New York City police had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

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Source: AP and Reuters

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