A manhunt is under way for a masked gunman who killed the chief executive of one of America’s largest healthcare insurers leaving behind a cryptic message.
Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, was shot from behind outside a Hilton hotel in central Manhattan, on Wednesday morning.
The gunman fled the scene on foot and then bike, as Thompson, 50, was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Before the gunman disappeared into Central Park he may have left a clue pointing towards his motive in a strange message left at the scene — three words scratched into the live rounds and shell casings found outside the hotel.
The NYPD found the perpetrator’s mobile and three bullet cases
SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES
“Deny”, “depose” and “defend” were inscribed on several of the 9mm bullets and three shell casings