Shootings over the past two weeks in New York and Washington, DC have targeted people not on the streets, leaving two people dead.
The Metropolitan Police in Washington, DC have arrested a man wanted in connection with the shooting of Homeless men in the US capital and New York City, officials said Tuesday.
Two men have been killed and three injured in a shooting that has unfolded over the past 10 days, in which Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and his New York counterpart Eric Adams called the alleged perpetrator a “blood killer” cold”.
Police from both cities posted surveillance photos of the suspect and offered a $55,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. And mayors have appealed to the public for help in locating the gunman.
The arrested man, who has not been named, is being interviewed by law enforcement, the Metropolitan Police said in a tweet. Authorities said they were looking a lone gunman There is forensic evidence in connection with the shooting deaths of five homeless men in two cities.
The first shooting took place at dawn on March 3 in northeast Washington. The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to officials.
A second homeless man was shot and wounded five days later, also in northeast Washington, police said. He also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The next day, a homeless man was found dead in northeast Washington with stab wounds and gunshot wounds, police said. His tent, where he was living, caught fire.
On March 12, a 38-year-old man was shot in the hand in New York City’s Lower Manhattan during the night, police said.
About half an hour later, police found another man’s lifeless body in a sleeping bag in the same neighborhood. He was shot in the head and neck.
Investigators in the two cities began suspecting a connection between the shootings after a Metropolitan Police homicide leader – a former New York City resident – saw surveillance photos. announced by the New York police on social networks.
DC Sheriff Robert Contee noted the rapid coordination between the departments, saying that without the officer making the connection, “it could take months” before the link between the attacks was discovered. .
On Monday, as the manhunt began, both Adams and Bowser urged anyone living on the streets to seek shelter in the city where they could be safer.
“We know that our large populations face so many dangers every day, and it is unconscionable for anyone to target this vulnerable population,” says Bowser.
Adams said New York City police and homeless outreach teams will focus on finding inexperienced people in subways and other locations to urge them to seek refuge in city-owned shelters.
About 45,000 people stay each night in homeless shelters in New York City, with thousands more sleeping on the streets. The city’s homeless population is around 80,000, according to US government figures compiled by the Bowery Mission Charity.
The mayor of New York City has been criticized by some anti-poverty advocates for his plan to remove the homeless from the city’s subway system by deploying police and mental health workers. to prevent people from sleeping in trains or stations.
Adams, on Monday, defended the policy, saying it was designed to protect the safety of both commuters and the homeless.
“There’s nothing decent about allowing people to sleep on the subway platform,” he said.
In January, a homeless man with mental health issues shoved a woman in front of an oncoming subway line in Manhattan, killing her. The attack put New York City passengers at risk.
