Photo: Xinhua via Getty Images
A suspect has been arrested in connection with thefive shootings that appeared to target homeless menin New York City and D.C.
“Early this AM, law enforcement arrested the suspect in Washington. He is currently being interviewed at our Homicide Branch. Additional information will be forthcoming. Thanks to the community for all your tips,” D.C. Policetweeted.
D.C. authorities say the investigation is ongoing.
The arrest came shortly after police released clear images of the suspect across social media. N.Y.C. Mayor Eric Adams and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowseraddressed the publicMonday night and called on both communities to report any information to police.
Adams and Bowser called the suspect a “cold-blooded killer” and the shootings “heartbreaking and tragic.”
DC Police Department Twitter
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
On the morning of Saturday, March 12, an unidentified man, believed to be the same suspect, allegedly shot a 38-year-old man in the arm while he was sleeping in Lower Manhattan, the release stated. Soon after, he was caught on surveillance video kicking a homeless man in N.Y.C.’s Chinatown district before shooting him in the head and neck. The first victim survived, but the second victim succumbed to his wounds and was not discovered for nearly 12 hours.
According to the news release, New York and D.C. authorities teamed up on the case after determining that due to evidence recovered at the crime scenes, common circumstances surrounding the shootings, and a similar M.O., they may be looking for the same suspect.
The past week’s attacks come on the heels of widespread hysteria surrounding the homeless population after a slew of violent incidents, particularly in New York, have been attributed to people without housing.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Ralph Boyd, CEO of So Others Might Eat, a D.C.-based organization that supports people struggling with homelessness and poverty, wants people to remember that “there are many paths and stories of how individuals and families can become homeless” and that housing status does not diminish their “dignity and worth as people.”
“The effects of living unsheltered and not having an address bring even greater danger and dislocation to these underserved and vulnerable populations,” Boyd tells PEOPLE.
source: people.com
