UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Courtesy photo

The words “delay” and “depose” were written on a shell casing and a live round recovered in front of the New York Hilton Midtown, where UnitedHealth Group Inc. insurance chief Brian Thompson was fatally shot on Wednesday, according to people familiar with the matter.

The inscriptions loosely echo the book title Delay, Deny, Defend, which describes tactics allegedly used by insurers to deny claims. Law enforcement officials may look at whether it suggests a potential motive — anger against health insurers.

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