An assailant has shot three apparently homeless people in Washington and two in New York City. Two of the victims, one in each city, have died, police in both cities said Sunday night.
Police said they are investigating the attacks jointly.
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In Washington, the shootings occurred in Northeast between March 3 and 9, according to police. In New York, the two shootings occurred Saturday, police there said.
The first incident in Washington took place about 4 a.m. March 3. Police responded to the 1100 block of New York Avenue in Northeast for the sounds of gunshots. When they arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening.
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About 1:21 a.m. on March 8, a shooting occurred near the 1700 block of H Street in Northeast. Police found a man with an apparent gunshot wound, who was later taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
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The most recent incident happened about 2:54 a.m. on March 9, police said, near the 400 block of New York Avenue in Northeast. A member of D.C. police was in the area and witnessed a fire. D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services came to extinguish it.
A further investigation revealed a man with no signs of life who was pronounced dead. The victim was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
An autopsy showed that he died of multiple stab and gunshot wounds. Police are investigating the incident as a homicide. The man’s name was not released.
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In the New York incidents, the police department and Mayor Eric Adams told reporters that a man had walked up to two homeless men sleeping on the street in Lower Manhattan and opened fire.
One of the homeless men died; the other was taken to a hospital, police said.
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Adams called the incidents “horrific,” and authorities said the police were investigating.
“Two people were shot while sleeping on the streets. Not committing a crime, but sleeping on the streets,” he said at a news conference. “We need to find this person, and we need New Yorkers to help us.”
In explaining why the attacks in both cities were linked, D.C. police cited similarities in the assailant’s actions, the circumstances of the victims and evidence recovered.
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In a joint statement issued late Sunday, Adams and D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bower said: “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. As our law enforcement agencies work quickly with federal partners to locate the suspect, we are also calling on unsheltered residents to seek shelter.
“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 mayors said.