Police zero in on New York location in hunt for UnitedHealth shooter

Police comb New York City for the suspect who used a Sharpie to write ‘deny’, ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ on bullets, words commonly associated with tactics insurers use to avoid paying claims.

The gunman used a Sharpie to leave coded messages including “deny,” “defend” and “depose” on the bullets used in the shooting of Brian Thompson, words used in the title of a 2010 book that criticises the tactics insurers use to avoid paying claims.

Authorities searched a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side as part of the investigation into the suspect who fatally shot a UnitedHealth executive outside a Midtown hotel a day earlier, according to a law-enforcement official.

Police are combing New York City for the suspect who used a Sharpie to leave coded messages including “deny,” “defend” and “depose” on bullets that are believed to have come out of his gun when it jammed, officials said. Some of the words are commonly associated with tactics insurers use to avoid paying claims and used in the title of a 2010 book that criticises insurers for using unethical practices.

Investigators believe the suspect may have stayed at the hostel. The New York City Police Department hasn’t publicly identified the man who ambushed Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealth’s insurance arm, in what they called a “brazen, targeted attack” on a sidewalk at dawn Wednesday. He shot Thompson, 50, in the back and leg and fled the scene, police said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday morning the investigation was moving at a steady pace. “We’re on the right path and we believe we’re going to apprehend this person,” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

Police Thursday morning released photos showing the face of a person of interest wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting. He is smiling and wearing a hood in one of the photos as he appears to lean on a counter. Authorities are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Police were at the hostel on Wednesday night, according to a tourist from Sudan staying at the hostel. Police in plain clothes were posted outside the hostel Thursday afternoon. A spokeswoman for Hostelling International USA, the owner of the hostel, said the organization is cooperating with the NYPD.

The hostel, a Victorian-style building located on Amsterdam Avenue at West 103rd Street, is near Central Park and a short subway ride from Times Square. Stays are restricted to 21 days per year, according to the website.

Police have released these photos of a man wanted over the shooting of Brian Thompson.

Investigators are piecing together a timeline of the suspect’s movements. Before the shooting, he visited a Starbucks and made purchases with cash, which cannot be tracked, the official said. Investigators recovered a cellphone in an alley where the suspect may have made his getaway.

The killing of a star executive in Midtown stunned the city. Residents were on edge for a second day as the manhunt dragged on. No arrests have been made in the case. Authorities said they didn’t believe there was a threat to the public but New Yorkers should be alert.

In response to reports the suspect’s gun had a silencer, which reduces the sound of gunfire, Adams, a former police officer, said, “In all of my years of law enforcement, I have never seen a silencer before. And so that was really something that was shocking to us all.”

Thompson lived in Minnesota and was in the city for UnitedHealth’s investor meeting. He was heading to UnitedHealth’s annual investor day early to help set up when he was shot, police said. Executives cut the event short after the attack.

Police in Maple Grove, Minn., said a bomb threat was made to an address associated with Thompson Wednesday night. Authorities didn’t find a bomb.

Thompson’s killing has prompted a re-evaluation of longstanding security practices across corporate America. Health-insurance executives say it isn’t unusual for companies and their leaders to face threats or lawsuits from customers. Grievances and complaints often stem from rejected coverage or high costs.

The Wall Street Journal