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A suspected serial attacker is wanted for killing two unhoused men and injuring three others in New York City and Washington, D.C., this month.
Police in both cities have said that a single suspect appears to be responsible for the series of shootings that occurred between March 3 and March 12, and they're now trying to find the individual before anyone else is hurt.
"It is heartbreaking and tragic to know that in addition to all the dangers that unsheltered residents face, we now have a cold-blooded killer on the loose," New York Mayor Eric Adams and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a joint statement on Sunday.
Police say the attacks all happened earlier this month. Three men were shot in D.C. and another two were shot in New York a few days later. One of the victims in each city died.
The first two shootings happened in D.C. on March 3 and 8, and the victims from both of these incidents were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department. A third D.C. victim was stabbed, shot and killed on March 9 in what police are treating as a homicide.
Two men were then shot on March 12 in New York, according to the NYPD. One was shot in the arm while sleeping in the early hours of the morning, while the other was shot and killed later that day.
Police suspect the same person in all five shootings because of how "similar" the cases are to one another.
Mayors Bowser and Adams described the shootings as "heinous crimes" that seemed to target the unhoused communities in their cities.
Tonight, Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and @NYCMayor spoke about ongoing investigations by the @DCPoliceDept and the @NYPDnews. Following their conversation, Mayor Bowser and Mayor Adams released the following joint statement: https://twitter.com/dcpolicedept/status/1503180378823090179\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/dbWmLxg1Tb— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@Mayor Muriel Bowser) 1647230008
They added that it's urgent to "get this individual off our streets before he hurts or murders another individual."
The mayors also urged people experiencing homelessness to seek shelter.
Local police and federal agents are asking for the public's help in identifying and locating the suspect and are even offering a monetary reward for anyone that comes through with valuable information that leads to an arrest.
The D.C. police are offering a $25,000 cash reward to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is offering an additional $20,000, while NYPD and CrimeStoppers are offering $10,000.
