- UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York City on Wednesday.
- The words "deny," "defend," and "depose" were found on shell casings at the scene, reports said.
- Officials are investigating whether the words are related to a motive.
Police found the words "deny," "defend," and "depose" on casings from bullets used to kill UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson in New York City Wednesday, reports said.
The words were found on casings at the scene in Manhattan, and police are probing whether they indicate that the motive for the crime was the insurance company's response to a claim, ABC News first reported.
Thompson's wife, Paulette, told NBC on Wednesday that he had spoken to her about receiving death threats she believed were related to a "lack of coverage."
"There have been some threats," she told the network. "Basically, I don't know, a lack of coverage? I don't know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him."
A spokesperson for UnitedHealthCare did not immediately respond to requests for comment on any potential link between the shooting and a coverage-denial issue. Paulette Thompson couldn't be reached for comment by BI.
The words on the cases are similar to the title of a 2010 book, "Delay Deny Defend," which is subtitled, "Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claim and What You Can Do About It."
The author of "Delay Deny Defend," Jay M. Feinman, a legal professor who specializes in insurance law, torts, and contract law, declined BI's request for comment.
Police are still searching for the person responsible for the shooting, which police have described as a "targeted attack."
Thompson was gunned down in the attack at around 6.45 a.m. outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The shooter fled the scene before police arrived.
UnitedHealthCare is the largest private insurer in the US, and Thompson had been in New York for an investor's meeting when he was killed.
The "investor day" event was then canceled.
