Cryptic three words carved into bullets used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson revealed

The gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a horror early morning shooting left behind a cryptic message at the scene, it has been revealed.

According to police sources, the three words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend” were carved into the live rounds and shell casings found outside the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, where Thompson was gunned down Wednesday morning.

Police sources confirmed the chilling message to ABC News and theNew York Post, adding that three live nine-millimeter rounds and three discharged nine-millimeter shell casings were recovered from the scene.

Several of the bullets were each inscribed with one of the three words, they added.

It is not clear what message the killer may have been trying to leave through the inscriptions, with the motive and the identity of the suspect still a mystery.

As of Thursday morning, no arrests have been made with the NYPD offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect.

UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson, in an undated photo, was shot dead on Wednesday morning in Midtown Manhattan (AP)

The gunman was lying in wait for Thompson, 50, from Minnesota, before approaching him from behind and opening fire, hitting him in the back and right calf, at approximately 6:46 a.m., according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.

Thompson’s killing was “not a random act of violence” but was a “targeted attack,” Kenny said.

The alleged shooter, a white male dressed entirely in black, fled on a Citi Bike ebike and was last spotted in Central Park.

Kenny said that “a cellphone was recovered,” and that Citi Bikes, which require a debit card or credit card to rent, are equipped with GPS devices.

The suspect, who was not a guest at the Hilton, was captured on security camera photos at a nearby Starbucks that morning.

He was then spotted walking alone to the hotel about five minutes before Thompson arrived. The suspect then stepped out from behind a car and gunned Thompson down, according to police.

New York City Police Department provided this image of the suspect (NYPD)

Thompson was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators are working to identify a motive for the attack.

Thompson’s wife said her husband had recently received threats from angry customers over complaints she believed may have had to do with “a lack of coverage.”

“I don’t know details,” Paulette Thompson told NBC News. “I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”

Reached by phone, Thompson’s brother Mark told The Independent he was not yet ready to comment on the heartbreaking situation.

A 'Wanted' poster put up by the NYPD outside of the New York Hilton hotel near the scene where Thompson was shot dead — A ‘Wanted’ poster put up by the NYPD outside of the New York Hilton hotel near the scene where Thompson was shot dead (EPA)

Thompson joined parent company UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and became CEO of UnitedHealthcare in 2021.

He was scheduled to speak at an investor conference at the Hilton at 8 a.m., approximately 75 minutes after the attack took place.

The investor conference was subsequently canceled, with a company official telling attendees they were “dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members.”

The UnitedHealth Group lamented Thomspon’s loss in a statement on Wednesday, noting that it was “deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague”.

It added: “We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.”