The unidentified gunman is still at large
Law enforcement officials have uncovered additional details in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The search for the unidentified gunman who killed Thompson outside of a Midtown Manhattan hotel early Wednesday morning is ongoing, but among the evidence recovered from the scene were multiple shell casings printed with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose,” For ABC and CBS News.
Authorities have described the incident as a “premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack,” but at the time of the initial press conference, stated that the motive for the shooting is still unknown. The discovery of the writing on the shell casings arrives as the search for the gunman continues. The police department has offered a $10,000 reward for information regarding the incident. No arrests have been made.
The shooting occurred at around 6:45 am when the suspect fired bullets at Thompson, striking him in his back and one leg. Three live rounds and three fired shell casings were recovered from the scene by police. The gunman wore a black mask and fled the scene on foot before riding off on a bike. The 50-year-old was pronounced dead after being transported to a nearby hospital.
In the hours following the attack, social media users shared their hardened reactions to the CEO's death and expressed criticism of the conditions created within the health insurance industry that could lead to such an attack.
Some also assigned themselves the role of true crime investigator. Now, users are putting their supposed detective skills to work to decode the meaning of “deny,” “defend” and “depose.” Some have pointed out that the collection of words bear resemblance to the book Delay, Deny, Defendwritten by Jay M. Feinman. The cover reads: “Why insurance companies don't pay claims and what you can do about it.” The book was originally published in 2010.
