Critique of Insurance Companies Highlights Gun Violence Issues – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
8:10 AM – Thursday, December 5, 2024
The fugitive accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown hotel may have left an unsettling message inscribed on the bullets he used in the attack on Wednesday morning, according to several police sources.
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The NYPD is currently probing a mysterious message that seemingly features the terms “deny,” “depose,” and “defend,” engraved on the bullets and shell casings left behind by the shooter after Thompson was shot multiple times.
These terms closely resemble themes from a 2010 book that critiques the insurance industry, where Thompson is regarded as a significant figure.
“Delay, Deny, Defend” — two of the three words left behind — is subtitled: “Why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it.”
According to police, they recovered three live 9-mm rounds and three spent shell casings in front of the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan, where Thompson was scheduled to conduct an investors conference that morning.
Multiple sources indicated that each element of the evidence had an inscription of a single word, suggesting the killer may have been attempting to convey a message while investigators seek to uncover a motive.
The shooter, who wore a mask and utilized a silencer, appeared to be skilled based on the surveillance footage currently circulating on social media.
He was captured on camera waiting outside the high-end hotel for Thompson, whose annual salary is nearly $9.9 million, before opening fire at close range, causing Thompson to stagger and fall.
Despite the weapon jamming momentarily, the calculated assailant managed to clear it and continued firing shots as Thompson tried to crawl away, according to the footage and sources.
Following the attack, the suspect fled into an alleyway and rode off on an e-bike, heading north along Sixth Avenue into Central Park, where police noted the surveillance coverage is intermittent.
Even though he escaped, the suspect left behind several clues that could aid investigators in his identification.
He purchased coffee, a water bottle, and two PowerBars at a nearby Starbucks prior to the killing, discarding his bottle and coffee cup in a trash bin, which officers later retrieved for evidence.
Additionally, a phone believed to belong to the shooter was found in an alley near the Hilton, as reported by the sources. Investigators have secured a search warrant to examine the phone’s contents.
The newly uncovered evidence may also assist authorities in piecing together the motive behind the execution-style attack.
“With the evidence we have gathered thus far, it appears that the victim was intentionally targeted,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny remarked during an earlier briefing. “However, we currently lack clarity on the reason. This does not seem to be an arbitrary act of violence.”
Thompson held a prominent position leading the largest private health insurer in the country, which has faced scrutiny for its contentious history of denying customer claims and is currently under a Department of Justice antitrust inquiry.
After being shot, Thompson was immediately transported to Mount Sinai West Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 AM, as confirmed by police.
His wife, Paulette “Pauley” Thompson, 51, mentioned that the family had received threats prior to her husband’s murder.
“There had been some threats,” she conveyed to NBC News. “Basically, I don’t know if it was about a lack of coverage? I don’t know the details, but I just know he mentioned there were some individuals who had been threatening him.”
Thompson was a respected figure in his industry and a family man, being a husband and father to two sons in Minnesota.
A manhunt is currently being conducted for the suspect, and the NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for relevant information.
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