50-year-old Brian Thompson, CEO of United Health Care, was walking in New York on his way to a conference when he was shot from behind by an unknown assailant on Wednesday morning.
The shot hit Thompson in the leg and back, and although he was taken to hospital, he died from his injuries.
Now a high-ranking official in the American police says that a message was found at the crime scene – on three empty shell casings someone had carved the words “deny”, “defend” and “depose”, reports NBC News.
Connects to a book
The police now suspect that the words on the blanks may have a connection to the book “Deny, deny, defend” with the subtitle “Why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it” from 2010, according to New York Post.
The book is about the American health insurance companies accused of delaying payments, denying legitimate claims and forcing policyholders into lawsuits. The book’s author, Jay M. Feinman, is professor emeritus of insurance and tort law.
In addition, the newspaper writes that United Health has developed a policy that says the company will only pay ambulance costs for “critical” visits to the hospital. A policy that Thompson should be behind.
New York mayor on shooting: ‘Clearly targeted’
The shooter was waiting outside Thompson’s hotel and the shots were fired at close range, according to witnesses that the news agency Bloomberg spoke to. Immediately after the shots, he is said to have fled into Central Park on a bicycle. Police released surveillance images of the suspected shooter early on. On Thursday, additional photos were published, one of which shows the suspected perpetrator smiling leaving a hostel on the morning of the murder.
– It appears that an individual clearly targeted him and we will arrest that person, says New York City Mayor Eric Adams to the AP.
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, tells NBC that her husband has received threats.
– I only know that he said that there were some people who threatened him, she says.
The health insurance company United Healthcare is based in Minnesota in the USA. Its parent company, United Health Group, is in eighth place on Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s largest companies by turnover, according to TT.