Police in the US hunting for the man who shot dead United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York street have found money from the Monopoly board game inside a backpack they believe the gunman used.
Two knowledgeable sources told NBC News, Sky News’ US partner, that the fake bank notes were discovered in the bag, which police found in Central Park after Mr Thompson was killed on Wednesday.
Police still have no idea of the gunman’s name or whereabouts or his motive for the killing but believe the man likely took a bus out of New York soon after the brazen ambush.
Brian Thompson was shot dead in New York City. Pic: AP
On Friday, detectives found the backpack in the park, but no weapon has been recovered from it or from other searches carried out by officers, two senior law enforcement officials close to the investigation told NBC News.
Their enquiries, though, remain very much ongoing and fluid, they said.
Other sources familiar with the case told NBC a jacket was found inside the bag, but it is unclear if it is the one worn at time of the shooting.
A New York City Police officer searches in Central Park. Pic: AP
NYPD officers have returned to Central Park to search near where the backpack was found and also in wooded sections and fountain areas for other evidence, according to three sources who spoke to NBC.
Atlanta, from where the gunman travelled to New York by bus, is one focus of the investigation, with detectives searching for video from that bus station and others along the Greyhound Bus route, three sources close to the investigation told NBC.
Mr Thompson, head of the US’s largest health insurer, was gunned down outside his company’s annual investor meeting at a hotel near to Radio City Music Hall and the Rockefeller Centre in midtown Manhattan.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Healthcare boss gunned down
The attacker was filmed walking up behind Mr Thompson and opening fire outside the Hilton hotel. Pic: NYPD
Video found by detectives shows the man riding a bicycle into the park and later taking a taxi to a bus station from where he could travel to New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington DC, according to the city’s chief of detectives, Joseph Kenny.
Read more:
New clues in hunt for gunman
Backpack found in search for New York shooter
Gunman filmed moments before shooting
Otherwise, the gunman hid his identity with a mask during almost all of his time in the city, including during the attack and even while he ate.
On Friday, the FBI announced it was offering a $50,000 (£39,100) reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.