United Healthcare CEO Shooting: Message May Have Been Left on Bullets

There are unconfirmed reports that the shooter who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, in what police are describing as a "targeted attack," may have left a message for investigators.

According to ABC News, which cited police sources, three shell casings recovered from the scene were emblazoned with the words "deny," "defend" and "depose." Newsweek contacted the New York Police Department press office for comment by telephone on Thursday outside of regular office hours.

Thompson was shot in the back and right calf shortly before 7 a.m. on Wednesday outside the Hilton Midtown by a masked attacker who had been "lying in wait," according to New York Police Department (NYPD) commissioner Jessica Tisch.

The CEO was rushed to Mount Sinai West hospital in a critical condition by first responders, but was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m. ET.

Several social media users have suggested the shell casing words, if confirmed, could be a reference to a book published in 2010 by insurance law expert Professor Jay M. Feinman titled: Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claim and What You Can Do About It.

As its title suggests, the book is fiercely critical of the insurance industry which it accuses of denying legitimate claims. Newsweek is unable to confirm any connection between the book and the alleged shell casing message. Feinman declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek.

Surveillance footage of the shooting obtained by CNN shows the assailant stepping out behind Thompson from behind a vehicle and shooting him from behind using what appears to be a silencer. The victim then stumbles while the shooter appears to briefly struggle with their gun, before firing a second shot after which Thompson collapsed on the sidewalk. The attacker then slowly walks up to Thompson during which an additional shot may have been fired.

Police said they recovered three 9-millimeter rounds and three shell cases from the scene.

After shooting Thompson, the attacker mounted an e-bike and road along Sixth Avenue to Central Park, which has limited surveillance camera coverage, according to police.

Citing unnamed "sources," The New York Post reported police recovered a phone from an alleyway near the shooting which they believe belonged to the killer, and have obtained a search warrant to investigate its content. The publication also claimed a bottle and coffee cup, suspected to have been purchased from a Starbucks by the assailant shortly before the shooting, were recovered from a trash can.

Thompson had been visiting New York from Minnesota for an investment conference when he was shot.

Speaking about the attack, Tisch said: "Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target. I want to be clear: At this time, every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack."

The NYPD released several photographs of the suspected shooter, who is hooded, masked and has a rucksack on their back.

NYPD chief of detectives Joseph Kenny said: "The shooter appears to be a light-skinned male. He's wearing a light brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a very distinctive gray backpack."

Thompson, aged 50, had worked for UnitedHealthcare for 20 years before the shooting, becoming CEO in 2021.

UnitedHealth Group's annual Proxy Statement for 2023, which is the latest available, put Thomson's salary at $1 million, though with stock options and compensation his total earnings for the year were $10,221,898.

Speaking to NBC News, Paulette Thompson, the deceased CEO's wife, said "there were some people that had been threatening him" prior to the shooting. The UnitedHealthcare boss is also survived by two sons.

Update 12/5/24 8:30 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to note Professor Jay M. Feinman declined to comment.