Water bottle, protein bar wrapper may help identify shooter in UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing

The masked gunman who stalked and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel used ammunition emblazoned with the words "deny," "defend" and "depose," a law enforcement official said Thursday.

The gunman is still at large and a manhunt is underway.

• Full story: Search for gunman in shooting of U.S. CEO

Here's the latest:

Water bottle and protein bar wrapper may hold clues to the shooter's identity

Just minutes before the shooting, the suspect was seen on surveillance footage purchasing the two items from a nearby Starbucks. Both the water bottle and protein bar wrapper were later recovered from a trash can in the vicinity of the killing, according to a police spokesperson.

They've been sent to the city's medical examiner for expedited fingerprint testing.

Tips about the shooting, many unfounded, are pouring in through a police hotline

As the suspect remained at large Thursday afternoon, New York police were sorting through a growing number of leads coming in through a public hotline.

Many have been unfounded, including a tip from a commuter who claimed to have spotted the shooter on a Long Island Rail Road train Wednesday evening. Police searched the train, but found no sign of the gunman.

Members of the public have also provided police with several different names of people who bear a resemblance to the gunman -- though they have yet to confirm the shooter's identity.

NYPD spokesperson Carlos Nieves urged anyone with information to contact the department "even if it seems trivial."

"We ask you to call the tip line because that little piece of information could be the missing piece of the puzzle that ties everything together," he said.

Anger and vitriol against health insurers filled social media in the wake of Thompson's killing

Users' reactions -- and in many cases jokes -- populated comment sections teeming with frustration toward health insurers broadly and UnitedHealthcare in particular.

"I would be happy to help look for the shooter but vision isn't covered under my healthcare plan," one comment read on Instagram.

"Thoughts and prior authorizations!" wrote another user.

The HI New York City hostel, Dec. 5, 2024, where police say the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have stayed. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Police searched Upper West Side hostel seen in new images

Images released by police of a person they say is wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting match the lobby of the HI New York City hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Both feature a black-and-white checkered floor and a distinctive bench in the shape of a semicircle.

Matheus Taranto, a guest at the hostel who's visiting from Brazil, says he saw police at the lodging Wednesday evening.

He said an officer wouldn't let him access a bathroom where he wanted to brush his teeth. "I asked why, he was like, no, nothing happened," said Taranto, 24.

He didn't connect the dots with the shooting until later.

Police in Minnesota say they believe bomb threat against Thompson's home was a hoax

In Minnesota, police in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove, where Thompson lived, said Thursday they believe a bomb threat on Wednesday night was a hoax.

Maple Grove police put out a statement Thursday saying a "suspected swatting investigation" was underway. The department said it received a report of a bomb threat directed at two addresses around 7 p.m. CT Wednesday. The Minneapolis Bomb Squad and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office assisted, but investigators found no suspicions devices or other items.

"The case is considered an active investigation, while the incident appears to be a hoax. No further comments will be made at this time," the police statement said.

Police reports provided to The Associated Press by the department show that officers made contact with family members at one of the homes and were told they had seen nothing suspicious and had received no direct threats.

In Minnesota, authorities investigate reported bomb threat against Brian Thompson's home

Back in Thompson's home state of Minnesota, authorities were investigating a bomb threat that reportedly was made against his home Wednesday night, after his death. It was first reported by TMZ.

City Prosecutor Andrew Draper confirmed to The Associated Press via email Thursday that he received an email Wednesday night "regarding a bomb threat. I reported it to the Maple Grove Police Department and do not have any additional information."

Maple Grove police officials did not immediately respond to requests for details Thursday.

Local ATF spokesperson Ashlee Sherrill said: "ATF was made aware of the incident in Maple Grove last night, but no ATF resources were deployed. We are unable to confirm any further details."

A local FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for information on the FBI's involvement in the investigation.

Words on ammunition were written in marker, AP source says

The words emblazoned on the ammunition used in the shooting -- "deny," "defend" and "depose" -- were written in permanent marker, according to a law enforcement official.

The official wasn't authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

-- Jake Offenhartz

A reward poster hangs on a light pole outside the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel in New York, Dec. 5, 2024, where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

What's known about the search

As of Thursday morning, police were still searching for the shooter.

They released new photos of a person they said is wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting. The images match the lobby of the HI New York City hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side, including its black-and-white checkered floor and a distinctive bench in the shape of a semi-circle.

An employee at the hostel said police had visited but declined to provide further information. Danielle Brumfitt, a spokesperson for the lodging, said in an emailed statement that they are cooperating with the NYPD but can't comment due to the active investigation.

According to the official who spoke to AP about the ammunition messaging, investigators are running DNA and fingerprint analysis on items found near the shooting, including a water bottle, that they believe the suspect may have discarded. Additionally, they're looking into whether the suspect had pre-positioned a bike as part of an escape plan.

What is the criticism of insurers?

Doctors and patients have become particularly frustrated with prior authorizations, which are requirements that an insurer approve surgery or care before it happens.

UnitedHealthcare was named in an October report detailing how the insurer's prior authorization denial rate for some Medicare Advantage patients has surged in recent years. The report from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations also named rivals Humana and CVS.

Insurers say tactics like prior authorization are needed to limit unnecessary care and help control spiraling medical costs.

Frustrations extend beyond the coverage of care. Expensive breakthrough medications to slow Alzheimer's disease or help with obesity are frequently not covered or have coverage limits.

How do Americans feel about insurers?

In the U.S. health care system, patients get coverage through a mix of private insurers such as UnitedHealthcare and government-funded programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. That can prove particularly frustrating for doctors and patients because coverage often varies by insurer.

Polls reflect those frustrations with the U.S. health care system in general and insurance companies in particular.

About two-thirds of Americans said health insurance companies deserve "a lot of blame" for high health care costs, according to a KFF poll conducted in February.

Wife said Thompson received previous threats

Thompson's wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he told her "there were some people that had been threatening him." She didn't have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage.

Eric Werner, the police chief in the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive.

Words on ammo echo common phrase on insurer tactics: Delay, deny, defend

A message left at the scene of an insurance executive's fatal shooting -- "deny," "defend" and "depose" -- echoes a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims.

The three words were emblazoned on the ammunition a masked gunman used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Thursday. They're similar to the phrase "delay, deny, defend" -- the way some attorneys describe how insurers deny services and payment, and the title of a 2010 book that was highly critical of the industry.

Police haven't officially commented on the wording or any connection between them and the common phrase. But Thompson's shooting and the messages on the ammunition have sparked outrage on social media and elsewhere, reflecting a deepening frustration Americans have over the cost and complexity of getting care.

New photos released by the NYPD

The New York Police Department released photos Thursday morning, asking for the public's assistance in identifying the individual pictured. Police say the person is wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO.

The NYPD released these images of a 'person of interest' in their investigation into the fatal shooting of a health-care CEO in Manhattan yesterday. (Source: NYPD)

UnitedHealthcare's history of claim denials

A Senate panel has been investigating how frequently three major insurers, including UnitedHealthcare, deny care to patients who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. It has also investigated the use of artificial intelligence in deny those claims.

• Download the CTV News App for breaking news alerts and video on all the top stories

Medicare Advantage is the private version of Medicare, which provides health insurance to millions of older Americans.

The Senate's Permanent Subcommittee's report released earlier this year found that as UnitedHealthcare relied more on its automated system to review claims denials increased for post-acute treatment, which includes nursing home or rehabilitation care. The insurer denied nearly a quarter of claims, a rate that doubled over just a two-year period from 2020 to 2022.

What's known about the suspected shooter?

Joseph Kenny, the NYPD chief of detectives, says the shooter wore a black face mask, black-and-white sneakers and a distinctive gray backpack.

He arrived outside the hotel about five minutes before UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson did, then waited and ignored other pedestrians before he approached Thompson from behind.

After the assailant began to fire, his 9 mm pistol jammed but he quickly fixed it and kept firing, Kenny said, another sign of the shooter's professionalism.

"From watching the video, it does seem that he's proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly," Kenny said.

This image shows the suspect sought in the the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (New York City Police Department via AP)

Hunt for the shooting suspect brought New York police to at least two hostels Thursday morning

The hostels were on Manhattan's Upper West Side and police were following a tip that the suspect may have stayed at one of the residences, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. The official requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the ongoing search.

According to an employee of Kama Central Park, two detectives arrived at the hostel at 7 a.m. Thursday with a photo of the shooter and asked staff if they recognized the man. They did not, the employee said, and the detectives left soon after. An employee at the nearby HI New York City hostel also confirmed that police had visited the location Thursday, but declined to provide further information.

-- Jake Offenhartz

Mayor says he's 'never seen a silencer before'

New York Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday the shooter used a silencer -- something he'd never encountered in his 22 years as a police officer.

"In all of my years in law enforcement I have never seen a silencer before," Adams, a retired NYPD captain, said in an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "And so that was really something that was shocking to us all."

Ammunition used in CEO's killing had writing on it: AP source

The masked gunman used ammunition emblazoned with the words "deny," "defend" and "depose," a law enforcement official said Thursday. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The words on the ammunition may have been a reference to strategies insurance companies use to try to avoid paying claims.

Investigators recovered several 9 mm shell casings from outside the hotel, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny had said earlier.

-- Mike Balsamo, Jake Offenhartz and Michael R. Sisak

Just getting up to speed? Start here

The chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation's largest insurers, was killed Wednesday in midtown Manhattan in what police described as a targeted attack by a shooter outside a hotel where the company was holding a conference.