Eric Adams Says ‘Net Is Tightening’ On Man Who Assassinated Health Insurance CEO

New York Mayor Eric Adams said on Saturday that he is optimistic about authorities’ progress in tracking down the assassin who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The suspect still has not been identified by the NYPD, but a backpack police believe the assassin was wearing when he gunned down Thompson was recovered in Central Park on Friday. Adams, a former NYPD officer, said that officials currently do not want to inform the public on whether police know the suspect’s name.

“We don’t want to release that now. If we do, we are basically giving a tip to the person we are seeking and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all,” he said. “Let him continue to believe he can hide behind the mask. We revealed his face. We’re going to reveal who he is and we’re going to bring him to justice.”

“And the manner in which they were able to follow his footsteps to recover evidence – some of it is known, some of it is unknown – but the net is tightening and we’re going to bring this person to justice,” the mayor added.

There has been some confusion on whether police believe a person caught smiling on surveillance in the lobby of a Manhattan hostel is the suspected assassin or just a “person of interest” wanted for questioning. Law enforcement officials initially referred to the person in the photo as the alleged gunman, according to The New York Times, but on Friday, the NYPD was referring to the person in the photo as a “person of interest.” The Daily Wire has reached out to the NYPD, asking for clarification on the description of the person seen in the hostel lobby and on whether authorities believe the person in those photos is the suspected assassin.

????UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4. This does not appear to be a random act of violence; all indications are that it was a premediated, targeted attack.

The full investigative efforts of… pic.twitter.com/K3kzC4IbtS

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 5, 2024

The assassin was caught on camera in the act of shooting the millionaire CEO. The killer was masked and wearing a dark hoodie and a “distinctive” gray backpack. After shooting Thompson, the assassin fled the scene on foot before getting on a bike and riding into Central Park. Police said the suspect was then seen again on surveillance footage outside Central Park without his backpack.

On Friday evening, police recovered a backpack between “some boulders just south of the Central Park Carousel,” CNN’s John Miller reported. The backpack was then taken to the NYPD’s crime lab where its contents will be searched and potentially analyzed for DNA evidence.

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The person of interest police are seeking in connection to the assassination likely fled New York City, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on Friday.