Society
“Deny, defend, depose”: what does chilling message left by UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer mean?
Police sources claim three bullet casings found at the scene of Thompson’s assassination have words on them, which may indicate a motive.
Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred around 6:45 a.m. local time. Thompson, 50, was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m.
The New York City Police Department have claimed the attack was targeted, with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stating at a news conference the gunman was “lying in wait for several minutes” and that “many people passed the subject”.
What do we know about Brian Thompson’s killer?
NYPD have yet to identify the killer. He was described by police as wearing a light brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a “very distinctive” gray backpack.
Following the shooting, he fled on an e-bike and was last spotted entering Central Park at 6:48 a.m. Police discovered a cell phone, a candy wrapper and a water bottle near the area where the assassin was waiting, which they believe could help them identify the person responsible.
The authorities have also detected that the suspect stopped at a nearby Starbucks before the shooting and threw his used cup in a trash can, which has been recovered and is being treated as evidence.
“Deny, defend, depose” messages found
Detectives later discovered that the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were written on three of the shell casings found at the scene. At present, officials are still working to determine whether they were part of a deliberate message sent by the shooter, what they could mean and if they could suggest what his motive was.
Paulette Thompson, Brian’s wife, has revealed that her husband had told her “there were some people that had been threatening him,” but was unable to offer any further details. She speculated it could have been motivated by a “lack of coverage” in UnitedHealthcare’s insurance programmes.
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