The gunman who shot and killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare reportedly left three cryptic words on the bullets used in the "targeted" shooting outside the New York Hilton in Midtown.
The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were found emblazoned on three 9 mm shell casings recovered from the scene of the shooting at West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue, a law enforcement source told the Associated Press.
Word of the messages came as the manhunt continued for the masked shooter, who fled into Central Park on a bicycle after what police described as a likely “premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.”
Brian Thompson, 50, was gunned down around 6:45 a.m. right outside the entrance to the hotel as he headed to an annual meeting with investors, where he'd been scheduled to speak. Surveillance video shows the gunman walking up behind him and opening fire, striking him in the back and leg.
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Investigators reportedly believe the shooting may have been motivated by a grudge against the insurance company, which is among the largest healthcare providers in the U.S. The words on the ammo could be a reference to strategies insurance companies use to try to avoid paying claims. There's also a 2010 book titled "Delay, Deny, Defend" about "why insurance companies don't pay claims and what you can do about it."
Thompson’s wife Paulette Thompson told NBC News on Wednesday that "there had been some threats" to her husband, possibly about “a lack of coverage” from the insurer.
NYPD officials said that while the motive is unknown, all indications are Thompson was “specifically targeted,” with the shooter “lying in wait for several minutes” before Thompson arrived at the hotel for the conference.
“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his target,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.
According to reports, investigators believe the suspect was an experienced marksman but not a professional killer. An official told the AP that it appeared the shooter had at least some prior firearms training and experience with guns and that the handgun was equipped with a silencer.
“From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
In addition to surveillance video of the suspect and the shell casings found at the scene, police are also investigating a cellphone discovered in a nearby alleyway and a water bottle and energy bar wrappers left at a Starbucks where the suspect was captured on camera minutes before the shooting.
“We are now looking at some evidence that may have been recovered from the scene, and we're doing some video canvas,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
Investigators are also looking into whether the suspect had pre-positioned a bike as part of an escape plan, an official said. Police initially said the shooter rode into Central Park on a bicycle from the city’s bike-share program, CitiBike. But a spokesperson for the program’s operator, Lyft, said police officials informed the company Wednesday afternoon that the bike was not from the CitiBike fleet.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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