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| - Unnamed police sources told news outlets about the words on the bullet casings. We have reached out to the New York Police Department to learn more and will update this story accordingly.
On Dec. 4, 2024, a masked gunman fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in front of a New York City hotel. The gunman, who is still at large as of this writing, reportedly left behind bullet casings with the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" on them.
News of the purported words on the bullet casings spread widely on social media following the shooting.
(X user @BNONews)
We were unable to find a police official to speak on the record about this information. However, unidentified police sources told ABC News about the words on the bullet casings. Other news outlets reported on it as well, also relying on anonymous sources. We reached out to the New York Police Department to confirm this detail. Until we receive more information, this story is considered research in progress.
The report about the bullet casings first appeared on ABC News. Anonymous police sources told the reporter that bullet casings found outside the hotel had the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" written on them.
The New York Times reported an additional word. Unidentified law enforcement officials told the outlet that the casings had the words "delay" and "deny" on them, among others.
According to CNN, which also spoke to anonymous law enforcement sources, "depose" was written on a shell casing from a round that was fired into Thompson while "delay" was written on a live round that ejected when the shooter seemed to be clearing a jam.
CBS News also reported the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" were found on shell casings and that law enforcement was investigating a possible motive tied to insurance companies and how they respond to claims. An unidentified source said each word was written with a Sharpie pen and not etched onto the casings.
According to the Times, the words could be connected to a 2010 book titled "Delay, Deny, Defend" by Jay M. Feinman, a law professor at Rutgers. The book explores how health insurance companies shortchange policyholders by not honoring their policy terms.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference that Thompson appeared to have been targeted: "Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target. I want to be clear: At this time, every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack."
As of this writing, the shooter's motive remains unknown, according to police.
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