Manhunt underway to find suspect in shootings of 5 homeless men in New York City and DC

Five shootings targeting homeless men in New York City and Washington DC, over the past two weeks were carried out by a single suspect who is now the subject of an “urgent” manhunt, officials said Sunday.

The shootings took place between March 3 and March 12 and left two men dead, the New York Police Department and Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department said in a joint statement. Each shooting happened in the middle of the night and targeted men experiencing homelessness, authorities said. Three of the shootings were last week in Washington, followed by two more in New York this weekend.

The NYPD and MPD cited similar circumstances and characteristics in each attack, although they did not release specific details. Speaking to Bloomberg, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said a ballistics match helped law enforcement connect the shootings.

The agencies are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on the investigation and have offered a combined $55,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.

The mayors of both cities issued a joint statement Sunday saying there was a “cold-blooded killer on the loose.”

“Our homeless population is one of our most vulnerable and an individual preying on them as they sleep is an exceptionally heinous crime,” said NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. “We will use every tool, every technique and every partner to bring the killer to justice.”