The phrases “delay” and “depose” had been written on a shell casing and a stay spherical recovered in entrance of the New York Hilton Midtown, the place UnitedHealth Group Inc. insurance coverage chief Brian Thompson was fatally shot on Wednesday, in response to individuals aware of the matter.The inscriptions loosely echo the book title Delay, Deny, Defend, which describes techniques allegedly utilized by insurers to disclaim claims. Regulation enforcement officers could have a look at whether or not it suggests a possible motive — anger towards well being insurers.
“That’s actually uncommon,” stated Joseph Giacalone, a former New York Police Division sergeant who’s now a professor on the John Jay School of Felony Justice. “I’ve by no means seen it, and I spent a very long time working investigations.”
Learn extra: UnitedHealth Executive Fatally Shot in NYC on Investor Day
The manhunt for the shooter has entered its second day. The New York Police Division on Thursday launched a sequence of photographs of the suspect and appealed to the general public for assist in figuring out the particular person, providing $10,000 for suggestions. The police executed a search warrant on a hostel on the Higher West Facet on Wednesday, in response to an individual aware of the scenario. The hunt didn’t result in any new proof of the whereabouts of the suspect, however it yielded extra photographs of the particular person, the particular person stated.
Thompson, 50, was shot within the again and leg round 6:45 a.m. exterior of the New York Hilton Midtown, the place the most important US well being insurer was internet hosting its investor day. The capturing — captured on safety video — confirmed the attacker ready for Thompson upon his arrival on the resort. The perpetrator approached the chief from behind and shot him a number of occasions earlier than leaving by foot after which driving an electrical bike towards Central Park. A cellphone was recovered close by in addition to the casings.
Grief, Then Confusion: Questions of Motive Emerge in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killing
UnitedHealth was amongst a bunch of corporations slammed in a Senate report earlier this year for utilizing automated instruments to extend declare denials. Whereas the phrases may recommend that the capturing is likely to be motivated by some type of insurance coverage denial, investigators even have to think about the phrases on the shell casing could also be a distraction designed to divert from the true motive, Giacalone stated.
“They will take all the things severely however must have an open thoughts that this may very well be a possible ruse,” he stated.
The capturing ignited a manhunt throughout town that the NYPD stated concerned drones, canines and an intensive police deployment in Manhattan. Authorities had been trying to make use of the GPS monitoring expertise to comply with the bike they imagine the suspect used.
Thompson, who had two sons, glided by the nickname “BT.” A 20-year veteran of UnitedHealth, he was one of many firm’s most senior executives and usually introduced at investor occasions and on earnings calls. The insurance coverage unit he oversaw is anticipated to herald $280 billion in income this yr, and is the nation’s largest well being insurer.
In 2021, he took over as CEO of the UnitedHealthcare insurance coverage division after working in finance positions throughout the enterprise. An authorized public accountant, Thompson graduated from the College of Iowa with a level in enterprise in 1997. He labored at PwC within the Twin Cities earlier than becoming a member of UnitedHealth.
On social media, the response to the capturing was harsh. Some customers on X, previously Twitter, applauded the slaying, pointing to insurance coverage claims denials and United’s position in America’s “damaged health-care system.” There have been comparable sentiments on websites like Reddit and TikTok.
The truth that each physician thought “I’m certain that is associated to denying entry to care” after listening to concerning the capturing of United Well being Care’s CEO reveals how dangerous our system is
— Kevin W. Farmer, MD (@kevinfarmermd) December 5, 2024
{Photograph}: Police place bullet casing markers exterior of a Hilton Lodge in Midtown Manhattan the place Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York Metropolis, on Dec. 4, 2024; Picture credit score: Spencer Platt/Getty Photographs
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