The bullets used to assassinate the CEO of the insurance company UnitedHealthcare contained the words “delay”, “deny” and “defend”. Police are investigating this detail in order to find the culprit.
The masked gunman who shot and killed the CEO of one of America's largest health insurance companies on a Manhattan sidewalk used ammunition engraved with the words “delay,” “deny” and “defend,” a judicial source said. on Thursday.
The officer was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, 50, killed in ambush early Wednesday morning as he headed to the company's annual investor conference at a Midtown Hilton, just blocks from tourist attractions like Radio City Music Hall and the Museum of Modern Art.
The words on the ammunition could be a reference to strategies insurance companies use to avoid paying claims.
Investigators recovered several 9mm shell casings outside the hotel and a cellphone in the alley where the gunman fled, Joseph Kenny, chief of detectives for the New York Police Department (NYPD), previously said. The motive for the murder is unknown.
The message, in the bullets
Police have not officially commented on the text or any connection between them and the well-known phrase. But Thompson's shooting death Wednesday and the messages on the bullets have sparked outrage on social media and elsewhere, reflecting a growing frustration Americans have about the cost and complexity of getting health care.
“Delay, deny, defend” has become something of a rallying cry for insurance critics. The terms refer to insurers delaying payment of health care claims, denying claims, and defending their actions.
“Delay, deny, defend” is also the title of a 2010 book by Jay Feinman that delves into how insurers handle claims.
How is the phrase related to UnitedHealthcare?
UnitedHealthcare provides coverage to more than 49 million Americans and generated more than $281 billion in revenue last year as one of the nation's largest health insurers.
The company and its rivals have become frequent targets of criticism from doctors, patients and lawmakers in recent years for denying claims or complicating access to care.
Critics say insurers are increasingly interfering with routine care, causing delays that, in some cases, can harm a patient's chances of recovery or even their survival.
Intense search
The search for the gunman led the NYPD early Thursday to at least two hostels on Manhattan's Upper West Side, based on a tip that the suspect may have been staying at one of the residences, according to a second officer. both of the investigation, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to report on it.
Two detectives arrived at the Kama Central Park hostel at 7 a.m. Thursday with a photo of the suspect and asked staff if they recognized the man, an employee confirmed to the AP. They hadn't seen him, the employee said, and the detectives left.
An employee at the nearby HI New York City hostel also confirmed that police had visited the location on Thursday, but declined to provide more information.
The murder and the shooter's movements in the minutes before and after were captured by some of the multiple security cameras in that part of the city.
Investigators believe, judging from surveillance video and evidence collected at the scene, that the shooter has experience with firearms and that the gun was equipped with a silencer, the officer said.
They are also investigating whether the suspect had previously prepared a bicycle as part of an escape plan, the officer said. The attacker fled on a bicycle and was last seen pedaling toward Central Park.
Authorities were conducting DNA analysis and fingerprinting on items found nearby, including a water bottle, which they believe the suspect may have discarded, the officer said.
Security camera video showed the shooter approach Thompson from behind, level his gun and fire several shots, barely pausing to clear a brief gun jam as the dying healthcare executive fell to the pavement.
Other security cameras captured the initial stages of the gunman's escape. He was seen fleeing the block through a pedestrian plaza, then escaping on the bicycle. Police used drones, helicopters and dogs in an intensive search, but the killer's whereabouts remain unknown.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that although investigators had not yet established a motive, the shooting was not a random act of violence.
“Many people walked past the suspect, but he seemed to be waiting for his target,” Tisch said at a news conference Wednesday.
“Watching the video, it appears that he is competent in the use of firearms as he was able to correct the faults fairly quickly,” Kenny said.
Police released several surveillance images of the man, who was wearing a hooded jacket and a mask that covered most of his face and would not have attracted attention on a cold winter day. Some of the photos were taken at a Starbucks coffee shop shortly before the shooting.
The police department is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
(With information from AP)