Chinatown, New York.Photo: Shutterstock
Investigators in New York City and Washington D.C. are working in tandem to find the man accused of five shootings in the past week that seemingly targeted homeless men. Two of his alleged victims died from their injuries.
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 two of us spoke about how our teams can coordinate and help one another, and we are calling on everyone in our cities to look at the images of the suspect and report any information, however small, that may be useful,” the statement reads, in part. “The work to get this individual off our streets before he hurts or murders another individual is urgent. The rise in gun violence has shaken all of us and it is particularly horrible to know that someone is out there deliberately doing harm to an already vulnerable population.”
It continues: “As our law enforcement agencies work quickly with federal partners to locate the suspect, we are also calling on unsheltered residents to seek shelter. Again, it is heartbreaking and tragic to know that in addition to all the dangers that 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.”
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.
But some advocates for people experiencing homelessness aren’t convinced that Adams is doing enough for at-risk populations in New York, claiming that his past directives have contributed to the villainization of homeless people.
“How many examples like this do we need to see before the City starts valuing the lives of homeless New Yorkers as much as the lives of those lucky enough to have homes?” said Jacquelyn Simone, policy director for theCoalition for the Homeless, in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “Despite the headlines, homeless New Yorkers are far more likely to be victims of violent crime than perpetrators.”
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“Instead of feeding into the dangerous narrative of homelessness as a blight — a quality of life issue for housed New Yorkers — Mayor Adams needs to recognize that his policies are placing them in harm’s way,” Simone continued. “Saturday’s tragedy is an urgent reminder that many unsheltered New Yorkers choose to bed down in the subways because that is where they feel the most safe in the absence of housing and low-barrier shelters. Instead of subway sweeps, the City and State must immediately open the promised housing and Safe Haven beds so that unsheltered New Yorkers have a safer place to stay inside.”
Ralph Boyd, CEO ofSo Others Might Eat, a D.C.-based organization aiming to break the cycle of 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
