Mayor Adams and DC Mayor Bowser Work Together to Catch Perpetrator who Killed Homeless Men in NYC and DC
By Yehudit Garmaise
One prime suspect is accused of killing two homeless men and attempting to kill three others in a shooting spree that started in Washington, DC, on March 3, and continued in New York City.
On March 12, a security camera caught the perpetrator shooting a homeless man, whom he wounded, on King Street in Manhattan at approximately 4:30 am.
An hour later, cameras on Lafayette Street recorded the assailant kicking a homeless man who was wrapped in a sleeping bag: before opening fire at the sleeping man at point-blank range.
All five shooting incidents have been traced to one gun, officials disclosed Monday afternoon at a joint press conference with Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser in the nation's capital, the New York Post reported.
“We don’t want to lose another resident in this city, in New York, or anyone else,” Mayor Adams said. “This person is carrying out a premeditated act of shooting innocent people.”
Washington D.C.’s police chief, Robert Contee IIIl, vowed the killer would be caught.
“Turn yourself in,” said DC Chief Contee, who revealed that police had reviewed plentiful video footage of the perpetrator to identify what he looks like. “We’re coming for you. That’s the bottom line.
“Our reach is far and wide, and we’re coming for you.”
Not only are the police forces of two cities on the lookout for the wanted man, after posting a high-resolution photo that was takenof the alleged gunman at an ATM machine, both mayors offered combined rewards of $95,000, as well as another $20,000 from the US Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
Although police now have an identifying photo, they would not say whether they were able to identify the perpetrator’s identity from the ATM.
The death of a sixth homeless man in Manhattan over the weekend was not linked to the prime suspect’s shooting spree and had died from other causes, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said.
“We’re looking at a person who’s clearly depraved and targeting people who are vulnerable,” DC Mayor Bowser said.
Photo Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.