Investigation into UnitedHealthcare CEO's personal life will be crucial: retired NYPD officer.

A retired NYPD officer revealed that investigators are conducting a thorough examination of the personal life of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, who was fatally shot, including his family and friends.

According to Ralph Cilento, a retired lieutenant commander of detectives at the NYPD and adjunct professor of police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the investigators are primarily focusing on the victim in this case because the majority of homicides are committed by someone the victim knows.

"The percentage of forensic analysis in homicides is typically high, around 90%, I believe. Besides the crime scene analysis, what else is done forensically in homicides? In addition to recovered shell casings and live rounds, there is a thorough examination of the victim in every homicide."

Even if the victim did not know the suspect, they may have recognized them through someone who sent an attacker to harm someone else.

The way to investigate homicides typically involves starting with the victim and expanding outward in concentric circles. While this method is not foolproof, it often leads to the identification of the perpetrator.

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting was on the morning when the shooting occurred, as Cilento pointed out.

In Midtown Manhattan, on Wednesday morning, Thompson met an untimely end when he was fatally struck in front of the Hilton.

Before the tree lighting, the NYPD works in such a way that any detail, no matter how small, begins the night before. This is a bold move, indicating that there are likely more police officers patrolling the streets.

"We do not know if this individual passed by police officers with body cameras, so all footage must be reviewed. This is a time-consuming and laborious task. It is a significant amount of work to collect all the video."

Near Minneapolis, a team of investigators is present at Thompson's home, as Cilento pointed out.

"To obtain leads about the homicide, you must investigate the victim. This includes examining his emails, communications with his wife, family members, current and former employees. Were there any threats made against him? Did he deny a customer coverage from the health care company? All of these areas need to be explored. They are currently being explored."

He stated that although he's not shocked the suspect managed to flee temporarily, their days are limited.

Investigators are putting "too many resources" into the investigation for him to avoid being caught soon, as it's impossible to leave an electronic footprint despite the suspect's attempts to use a fake ID and pay with cash.

The use of a fake ID and cash payment by Cilento was considered a minor obstacle in the investigation.

Cilento stated that they are thoroughly investigating every lead. Specifically, there is a team in Minneapolis that focuses solely on recovering video, which can be a time-consuming and challenging process. However, this is not the only task they are responsible for.

"Thousands of hours of video have been gone through, and detectives are scouring for a glimpse of the suspect. Other detectives are reviewing NYPD body cameras in the hope of finding the suspect unmasked and walking past a cop whose body camera was activated. This task is tedious and requires a granular approach, but it is being seen to."