Why David Sweat Is More Dangerous Now Than Ever

His partner is dead and he has 1,100 cops on his tail: David Sweat has been a dangerous man over the last three weeks, but he may be most dangerous now, law professor and former NYPD officer Eugene O'Donnell tells NBC News. "He is face to face with the reality that his life is over which makes him very dangerous to anyone he comes in contact with," says O'Donnell. As for who that might be, the Burlington Free Press speaks with residents of Malone, NY, a small town near where Richard Matt was yesterday shot dead. The paper describes the area as a "rural, heavily forested part of New York nestled near the Canadian border several hours west of Vermont," and CNN reports the search continued into the night with the help of helicopters, all-terrain vehicles, and infrared vision.

How one resident describes what's descended on her formerly quiet town: "When you hear the helicopters, it's a little hard to sleep at night." NBC News notes police have no indication that the men had gone their separate ways in the days prior to Matt's death, though that's a possibility. Matt had a 20-gauge shotgun on him, and police suspect Sweat has a weapon, too. O'Donnell's advice to cops: Don't rush things. "The very best time to get [this] guy would be the crack of dawn where he's completely exhausted and the dawn of light is broken." (More David Sweat stories.)