UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC. The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were found emblazoned on the ammunition, echoing a phrase used by insurance industry critics, two law enforcement officials said Thursday.
The words were written in permanent marker, according to one of the two officials, who were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
Investigators also now believe the suspect may have traveled to
Police and federal agents have been collecting information from Greyhound in an attempt to identify the suspect and are working to determine whether he purchased the ticket to
Police also released new photos Thursday of a person wanted for questioning in connection with Thompson's killing.
The images, showing an unmasked man smiling in the lobby of a
Thompson, the head of one of the largest
The messages on the 9 mm ammunition found at the scene of the shooting mimic the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” which is commonly used by lawyers and insurance industry critics to describe tactics used to avoid paying claims.
It refers to insurers delaying payment, denying a claim and then defending their actions. Health insurers like UnitedHealthcare have become frequent targets of criticism from doctors and patients for denying claims or complicating access to care.
Investigators also recovered a cellphone from a pedestrian plaza through which the shooter fled. Inside a nearby trash can, they found a water bottle and protein bar wrapper that they say the gunman purchased from
Investigators were still trying to obtain additional information from the phone Thursday, the law enforcement official said.
A tip that the shooter may have stayed at a hostel brought police Thursday morning to at least two such establishments on Manhattan’s Upper
“We are fully cooperating with the
Investigators believe the suspect used a fake
Employees who work at the hostel told investigators they remembered a man who almost always wore a mask when interacting with them or passing by the front desk. That person wore a jacket that looked like the one worn by the man pictured in surveillance images released after the shooting, the official said.
After the shooting, police said the gunman fled on a bicycle and was last seen riding into
Members of the public have flooded police with tips — many unfounded. Police searched a
“We’re following up on every single tip that comes in,” said Assistant Commissioner
Based on surveillance video and evidence from the scene, investigators believe the shooter had at least some firearms training and experience with guns and that the weapon was equipped with a silencer, one of the law enforcement officials told the AP.
Investigators were also looking into whether the suspect had pre-positioned a bike as part of an escape plan, the official said.
Security video shows the killer approaching Thompson from behind, leveling his pistol and firing several shots, barely pausing to clear a gun jam while the executive tumbled to the sidewalk. Cameras showed him fleeing the block across a pedestrian plaza before getting on the bicycle.
Police released several images of the man wearing a hooded jacket and a mask that concealed most of his face — a look that would not have attracted attention on a chilly morning.
Thompson, a father of two sons who lived in a
His wife, Paulette, told NBC News on Wednesday that he told her “there were some people that had been threatening him.” She didn’t have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage.
The insurer’s parent company,
UnitedHealthcare provides coverage for more than 49 million Americans and brought in more than
In October, UnitedHealthcare was named along with Humana and CVS in a
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Balsamo reported from
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