New York City Police Scour Video Footage to Catch Elusive Gunman
In the days since UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down on a New York City sidewalk, authorities have been searching for a suspect who has managed to evade capture. Despite the city’s extensive surveillance system, which captures millions of people daily, the gunman’s face remains a mystery.
The suspect, who was in the city for 10 days before the killing, was seen on camera multiple times, but he kept his hood up and wore a mask in public places. Police believe the suspect may have left the city, making it difficult for them to track him down.
The investigation has involved reviewing thousands of hours of video footage, with officers pouring over every clip, trying to find new clues. "They will create a movie of his every move," said John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst.
The suspect’s real challenge might come from police’s ability to scour his entire 10-day stay in the city, searching for any indication of who he met or where he went, according to former NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey.
The discovery of the suspect’s image, showing him riding an electric bike into Central Park, has been a key development in the case. However, despite the wealth of video evidence, some have questioned how no one has come forward to identify him.
The case has taken a complex turn, with some experts suggesting the gunman may be a "Batman-type figure" seeking justice, while others believe the shooting was a form of vigilante justice against a health care system they see as prioritizing profits over patients’ lives.
Facial recognition software has not been able to identify the suspect, and police are now trying to match his image to driver’s license photos from the Department of Motor Vehicles, which, however, can be a legal and logistical challenge. The suspect’s phone, which was found in an alley, is also being analyzed, but extracting data from it can be extremely difficult. The investigation is ongoing, with police refusing to give up, despite the elusiveness of the suspect.