2 Homeless Men Killed And 3 Others Wounded In Series Of Shootings In DC And NYC: Police

WASHINGTON, DC — A combined reward of $70,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of a man officials said shot five homeless people in Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Five recent shootings of homeless men in the District and NYC are linked by guns used in both cities, according to police officials. Two of the shootings were fatal and deemed homicides.

The Metropolitan Police Department and New York City Police Department, along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, announced on Sunday that they were pursuing the same suspect in all five shootings due to similarities in the cases and ballistics evidence found at each of the crime scenes.

"What we know is we have a depraved person that is targeting unhoused residents," MPD Chief Robert Contee said at the news conference on Monday evening. "We know that as a result of the actions that have occurred here in our nation's capital, as well as our sister city in New York City."

Late Monday, authorities released video of the man investigators believe is the suspected shooter. (See the video at the bottom of this story.)

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined New York City Mayor Eric Adams and law enforcement officials from both cities during Monday's news conference in calling on the public to help identify the man wanted in the cases that involved homeless men who were sleeping on the street when they were shot by a male suspect.

“What we know is that guns have been involved in scenes in New York and D.C., and that they have been matched ballistically,” DC Mayor Bowser said on Bloomberg TV Monday afternoon, WTOP reported.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has joined with the police departments in NYC and DC to investigate the attacks.

“From the first incident, the Metropolitan Police has spared no resource in our efforts to identify the suspect behind these cowardly acts," Contee said in a release. "We are committed to sharing every investigative path, clue and piece of evidence with our law enforcement partners to bring this investigation to a swift conclusion and the individual behind these vicious crimes to justice.”

The shootings began on March 3, when MPD officers found a man suffering from gunshot wounds around 4 a.m. in the 1100 block of New York Avenue, Northeast in D.C. The man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Two other shootings occurred in the District. In the first, a man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after being shot early last Tuesday, in the 1700 block of H Street, Northeast.

Early Wednesday morning, the body of the third shooting victim was discovered after D.C. Fire & EMS extinguished a tent fire in 400 block of New York Avenue, Northeast. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later determined the man had suffered multiple gunshot and stab wounds. His death was declared a homicide.

In New York City on Saturday, two other homeless men were shot, one fatally. The first victim, a 38-year-old man, was shot in the arm around 4:30 a.m., while he slept on King Street near Varick Street. The fifth victim died after suffering multiple gunshot wounds to the head and neck around 6 a.m.

Police were able to link the shooting cases in the two cities after a detective in NYPD's homicide unit saw an image on social media of the man wanted in Wednesday's fatal shooting in the District. After sharing the photo with his colleagues, NYPD determined the suspect was the same as the person wanted in the two shootings in their city. Reaching out through the ATF, the two police departments began sharing information and data.

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

Both police departments investigating the shootings released images and a video of the man they believe is responsible for the shootings.

MPD is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for anyone who supplies information that leads to the arrest and conviction of any person responsible for a homicide in the District. Anyone with information about the shootings in D.C. is asked to call MPD at 202-727-9099. Anonymous tips may be submitted via the department's text tip line by texting a message to 50411.

A $25,000 reward is also being offered to anyone who provides information about the shootings in New York City. NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline is 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Information may also be submitted via the Crime Stoppers website or on Twitter at @NYPDTip.

ATF's Washington Field Division is also offering a $20,000 reward, bringing the combined reward being offered in the case to $70,000. Information may be submitted to ATF by calling 1-800-ATF-TIPS.

“This was a cold-blooded attack,” said NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Monday evening in D.C.. “When you look at the pre-meditative action of this shooter, it sends a clear and loud message that we need the help from the public. … Someone knows this person. We’re asking for the public to find him. We don’t want to lose another resident in this city, in New York, or anywhere else.”

Courtesy of Washington DC Police Department