Between March 3 and March 12, five shootings of homeless men took place in New York City and Washington, D.C. Two of the victims were killed. Though the attacks took place in different cities separated by a 4-hour drive along I-95, authorities in both jurisdictions believe the killer to be the same suspect. The investigation was turned over to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives due to striking similarities in crimes that occurred between states. NYPD and MPDC will continue to assist in the investigation in a joint effort. A national, urgent manhunt has begun to identify and apprehend the perpetrator, with rewards for information leading to the suspect’s arrest currently listed at over $50,000, while the dollar amount seems to be growing. Video of the primary suspect has been released.
The attacks began in D.C. on March the 3rd and lasted there until the 9th. The crimes all took place in the city’s Northeast district. One victim died in Washington during the killer’s final attack in the city, in which a homeless man was shot, stabbed and had his tent set on fire. The killer resurfaced and struck again the morning of Saturday, March 12, in Manhattan’s SoHo, when a man sleeping in the street was shot in the forearm around 4:30a.m. About 2 hours later, fifteen blocks away, another man in a sleeping bag was shot who later died. Due to the recency and dynamic status of the crimes, authorities are withholding information regarding similarities between the crimes and potential motives. The murders are assumed to be committed explicitly against the homeless, as all of the victims were homeless men taking refuge in the streets.
Homelessness status has been added to the federal list for hate crimes, as authorities believe they may have a textbook case. Hate crimes against the homeless began increasing in volume in the US in the early-2000s, while the issue has been exaggerated since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Although, most attacks are non-lethal. Homeless spiked, particularly in big metropolitan areas like NYC. As many of the homeless took to the subway for shelter over winter, New York City mayor Eric Adams’ new initiative to reform the subways and keep them homeless-free chased many back to the streets. All of the attacks occurred in the street, making it particularly dangerous. Adams now urges the homeless to seek immediate shelter where they can to avoid peril. Homelessness is not a solvable problem, but the homeless still have human rights. 
NYPD commissioner Keechant Sewell denounced the attacks. He added in a statement, “Our homeless population is one of our most vulnerable and an individual preying on them as they sleep is an exceptionally heinous crime. We will use every tool, every technique and every partner to bring the killer to justice.” Mayor Adams reinforced the commissioner’s sentiment and urged the public to do what they could to assist.
I recently heard that New York City mayor Eric Adams is going back to early 90’s tough on crime policies in an attempt to curb these horrific murders. It’s been a contentious topic recently due to the negative side effects of this form of policing but I hope that the good outweighs the bad going forward. Will definitely be following this case as the investigation progresses, and hopefully the Bureau finds the necessary evidence soon.
Hello Sam. Wow, I wasn’t aware of this and I’m glad I read this because I hope to follow along with where things go with this case in the future. Targeting the homeless is so deeply disturbing because of how vulnerable they already are, like you mentioned. It is quite troubling to think about the fact that they really have nowhere to go to protect themselves from these kinds of attacks. It makes it all the more difficult because of how the pandemic has affected the homeless community. I hope the culprit is found soon and that the community and its leaders will do a better job of protecting the homeless.