The individual responsible for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown hotel may have inscribed a message on the bullets used in the assassination, according to law enforcement sources. The NYPD is examining the potential message, which seems to incorporate the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend,” inscribed on live rounds and shell casings left at the scene by the masked assailant. The assailant shot Thompson, 50, multiple times around 6:46 a.m. before making his escape, the sources revealed.
Officers recovered three live 9-millimeter rounds and three spent casings in front of the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue, where Thompson, from Minnesota, was scheduled to host an investors’ conference, according to police officials. Several pieces of evidence each bore one word, suggesting the shooter intended to leave a message. Surveillance footage obtained by The Post indicates the masked gunman used a silencer and appeared to be a skilled shooter. However, he may have made critical errors that could aid investigators in identifying him.
Before the shooting, the suspect stopped at a nearby Starbucks and discarded his coffee cup in a trash can, which police retrieved as evidence, according to sources. Investigators also found a phone in an alleyway near the Hilton, believed to belong to the killer. A manhunt for the suspect is in progress, and the NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
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