Bullets fired at UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had words written on them, officials say
The bullets used by the unidentified gunman to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson CBS News confirmed the words were written on it Wednesday morning.
The words “deny,” “defend” and “destroy” appeared on shell casings recovered from New York City shooting scenes, according to law enforcement officials. Officials said they were looking into whether those words were related to possible motives of the insurance companies involved and their response to the claims. ABC News first reported the news.
Thompson, 50, shot multiple times Just before 7 a.m. ET Wednesday, a masked gunman fled the area before police arrived. The shooting occurred in a busy area outside the Hilton Hotel in downtown Manhattan, where the executive was preparing to attend a UnitedHealthcare investor conference. Authorities said Thompson had been staying at the Marriott across the street.
Surveillance video showed him walking to the Hilton Hotel around 6:45 a.m. and being shot at least once in the back by a gunman who police said had been lying in wait for several minutes. . leg. The suspect can be seen briefly approaching Thompson before crossing the street. Then he got on his bike and headed to Central Park. Police recovered three live rounds and three expelled shell casings at the scene.
The shooter remained at large Thursday morning. Authorities described him as a white male wearing a tan jacket, black face mask and black and white sneakers. He was also carrying a gray backpack. Late Wednesday, the New York City Police Department released more photos of the suspect, showing him at a Starbucks two blocks away from the shooting, about 20 minutes before it happened. He paid cash at the coffee shop, a law enforcement source told CBS News.
Police told CBS News they found unspecified “forensic evidence” at the Starbucks and are conducting possible DNA and fingerprint testing on items found there. They also said they had found a mobile phone of “investigative value” in an alleyway near the shooting site and were conducting forensic processing on it to determine whether it was linked to the shooter.
Although authorities gave no possible motive for the shooting, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tish called it a “premeditated, planned, targeted attack” at a press conference on Wednesday. Police did not respond directly when reporters asked whether Thompson knew any enemies before his death or was blamed for the beneficiaries’ lack of UnitedHealthcare coverage. Coverage Issues sparks protests in minnesotawhere the company is headquartered and where Thompson lives.
According to police, no security personnel were present when Thompson was killed.
Eric Warner, the police chief of Maple Grove, Minnesota, the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lives, said his department had not received reports of threats against Thompson, the Associated Press reported. But Paulette Thompson, the CEO’s wife, told NBC News on Wednesday that her husband had “received some threats.”
“Basically, I don’t know, lack of coverage? I don’t know the details. I just know that someone has been threatening him,” she said.
While police scoured surveillance images and searched the area surrounding the shooting for additional videos, a law enforcement source said UnitedHealthcare investigators and security staff were also reviewing files to see if there were previous threats or more recent threats. Records of employees who were fired or disgruntled due to another incident. reason.
Police are asking anyone who may have information about the shooting or the shooter to report it to Crime Stoppers or submit tips anonymously online. The department is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
