The manhunt for the suspected killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO will "take some time," as a former New York police detective warns "nothing happens overnight."
"We have investigations that are very rapid, and some more extensive and take some time, and this is one that's taking time," retired NYPD Det. David Sarni told the Lawyer Herald Friday in an interview.
Friday marked day three of the high-profile investigation in pursuit of an elusive gunman who fatally shot insurance executive Brian Thompson in a pre-dawn attack outside a Manhattan hotel, earlier this week.
Thompson, 50, was in New York City for the company's annual investors meeting when he was ambushed by a masked shooter who fired off several rounds into the victim's back and leg, leaving him mortally wounded.
The killer then fled – first on foot, then by e-bike. He subsequently boarded a bus departing New York City, leaving authorities to believe he is no longer in the area.
The passing days and the suspect's ability to evade capture have the public questioning if he will ever be caught or if he's in fact gotten away with murder.
"Even though it seems like three days, he's gone in the wind, you'll never see him again, that's not always the case," Sarni, who spent 27 years on the force, and is now an adjunct professor of criminal justice at the City University of New York, explained. "You don't have a particular timeframe in which you apprehend anybody. You're just trying to build that case. So when you have probable cause to make the arrest, you do."
"This is a multifaceted investigation," he added. "It takes some time. Nothing is easy."
Authorities on Wednesday said evidence indicated Thompson's murder was a "premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack," according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who confirmed the suspect was "lying in wait" for at least five minutes before he approached the victim.
Police released surveillance images of the shooter with his face mask pulled down, smiling and flirting with a female front desk worker as he used a fake New Jersey ID to check into the HI New York City Hostel prior to carrying out the deadly incident.
The assassin, who is believed to have arrived in NYC 10 days before the shooting, was also spotted at a nearby Starbucks.
Police described the suspect as a light-skinned male, last seen wearing a light brown or cream colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a "very distinctive" gray backpack.
A motive has not been disclosed.
