After UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot on Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan, police sources are saying that cryptic messages were left behind at the scene of the crime.
The words “deny” and “depose” were allegedly inscribed on a live round and a shell casing left outside the Manhattan Hilton Hotel where the 50-year-old Minnesota resident was targeted by a gunman who is still at large.
Police are exploring whether the words found indicate a motive, pointing to a popular phrase in the insurance industry: “delay, deny, defend.” NYPD detectives suggest the killing could be the result of a grudge against the insurance company.
Three spent shell casings were found at the scene along with three live rounds from a 9mm weapon.
The suspect gunned Thompson down outside a Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, hitting him in the back and right calf, at approximately 6:46 a.m., according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
He was last seen cycling out of the park on West 85th Street just before 7 a.m.
On Thursday, police are said to be seeking a search warrant for an undisclosed location in New York City where they believe the alleged killer may have been hiding, as it appears they are closing in on an identity of the suspect.
Detectives found a phone in the alley the gunman ran through that may have belonged to him. They also found a bottle of water that they believe the suspect bought at a Starbucks shortly before the shooting. The suspect was seen on video before the shooting carrying what appeared to be a battery for an electric bike. Investigators believe that the shooter may have taken a subway from the Upper West Side to Midtown and are looking into whether the electric bike he used to flee was pre-positioned nearby.
