Mayors in two major cities are asking homeless people to find shelter as police search for the individual who shot at least five of them.
“A lone gunman is suspected of targeting sleeping homeless men in a series of shootings in DC and the Big Apple this month that has so far left two men dead and three others wounded,” the New York Post reported Monday.
On Sunday evening, Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) addressed the investigation and said their law enforcement officers were working with federal agencies to find the suspect.
They also urged “unsheltered residents” to find a safe place.
“Again, it is heartbreaking and tragic to know that in addition to all the dangers unsheltered residents face, we now have a cold-blooded killer on the loose, but we are certain that we will get the suspect off the street and into police custody,” their statement read:
In a social media post, the D.C. Police Department shared images of the suspect. The man appeared to be wearing all black, and in another photo, wore blue surgical gloves and a ski mask:
“The gunman is suspected in three attacks on homeless men in DC between March 3 and March 9, with one man dying from his wounds,” the Post report said.
According to police, the suspect was in Manhattan on Saturday where he allegedly shot two homeless men in Soho.
In response, Adams said, “I’m here today to send a very clear message, that all New Yorkers matter,” adding, “Two individuals were shot while sleeping on the streets, not committing a crime but sleeping on the streets.”
New York’s gun controls are among the most strict in the country and include what Democrats have advocated for at the federal level “under the guise of safety,” Breitbart News reported.