AWR Hawkins
The suspect in Wednesday’s killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson allegedly left a message on shell casings which consisted of the words “Defend,” “Deny,” “Depose.”
Breitbart News reported 50-year-old Thompson was shot and killed outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan just after 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday.
Hours after the killing, the NYPD held a press conference and made clear they believe the killing was targeted not random.
!!! The shooter of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson wrote “deny” “defend” “depose” on the shell casings left at the scene, ABC News reports.
The words echo the name of a book about how insurers won’t pay claims.
This is an EARTHQUAKE for corporate America. pic.twitter.com/iBI255WPOl
— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) December 5, 2024
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny pointed out that the suspect was wearing a “distinctive gray backpack,” black face mask, light brown jacket, and black and white sneakers. He said the suspect “[ignored] numerous other pedestrians,” approached Thompson from behind, and shot him in the back.
A wanted poster is set up for an NYPD press conference regarding a homicide authorities believe was a targeted attack at One Police Plaza on December 4, 2024, in New York City. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot before he was to attend the company’s annual investors meeting. (Alex Kent/Getty)
On Thursday morning NBC 4 New York noted the suspect in the killing allegedly left a message on shell casings which were found at the scene.
The alleged message was “defend,” “deny,” and “depose.”
🚨UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4. This does not appear to be a random act of violence; all indications are that it was a premediated, targeted attack.
The full investigative efforts of… pic.twitter.com/K3kzC4IbtS
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 5, 2024
The New York Post pointed out, “The NYPD is investigating the possible message…engraved on live rounds and shell casings left behind by the masked assassin after he shot Thompson.”
The message is eerily close to that of a book on insurance companies refusing to pay claims titled, “Delay, Deny, Defend.”
The book’s subtitle is, “Why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, a Pulsar Night Vision pro-staffer, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly: awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
