Police discovered three words written on the casing of the bullets used to murder UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Thompson was fatally shot at around 6:40 a.m. on Dec. 4. At this time, a masked gunman fired various shots from a handgun in front of the entrance to the New York Hilton Midtown on West 54th Street, where the UnitedHealthcare CEO attended a conference with the company’s investors.

Thompson was shot in the back and a calf. He was then taken to Mount Sinai West Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The shooter was seen in CCTV images “lying in wait” to attack Thompson in front of the hotel entrance, according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who called the fatal shooting a “brazen targeted attack” during a press conference on Wednesday.

No motive for the attack had been identified at the time of publishing. The NYPD noted that he fled on foot and then on an electric Citi Bike heading uptown. The suspect was last seen in Central Park on Center Drive and is still large.

Law enforcement officials recently confirmed that the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” appeared on shell casings found at the scene of the shooting.

The officials said they are investigating if the words connect to a potential motive involving insurance companies and their responses to claims.

Each word was carefully written, not etched, onto the casings in Sharpie.

Investigators think they might be referencing “the three D’s of insurance” coined by the industry’s critics: “delay,” “deny,” and “defend.”

The alliteration is a response to the tactics opponents say insurance companies use to delay or deny policyholders’ claims.

On Thursday, police released an image of the smiling suspect in the murder wearing a hoodie.

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Article by Alessio Atria

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