Shocking surveillance video captures shooting of sleeping homeless man
NEW YORK -- An active manhunt continued Monday for a man accused of shooting at least five homeless men, killing two.
The suspect struck in New York City and Washington, D.C. in the span of nine days. Local police in the cities and federal law enforcement are investigating, CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported.
Watch: Mayors Adams and Bowser address recent shootings of homeless men in NYC and D.C.
According to police, the homeless victims were asleep when they were shot. Police believe the suspect is responsible for three shootings in Washington, D.C. and two in New York City.
Surveillance video from the most recent shooting, a fatal attack on Howard Street in SoHo on Saturday, shows the suspect looking around and walking past the victim before turning around and kicking him several times. The suspect then pulls out a gun and shoots the man.
The deadly attack was tied to another shooting earlier that day on King Street, near Varick. That victim is recovering at the hospital, CBS2's Elijah Westbrook reported.
In a joint statement, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said, "The work to get this individual off our streets before he hurts or murders another individual is urgent."
Bowser said there were commonalities with the shootings.
"As our law enforcement agencies work quickly with federal partners to locate the suspect, we are also calling on unsheltered residents to seek shelter," their statement continued.
In Washington D.C. on Monday, police passed out fliers with the suspect's photo to people experiencing homelessness, CBS2's Ali Bauman reported. NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said police are doing similar outreach here.
"Our reach is far and wide and we're coming for you," D.C. Metro Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said.
"We launched a citywide effort to reach out to the homeless population and urge them with three goals -- to warn them and seek shelter, to ask them if they had encountered this subject from the pictures we showed them, and to ensure there were no undiscovered victims," Sewell said.
Watch Elijah Westbrook's report
Some New Yorkers said the solution has to go beyond shelters, and focus more on permanent housing.
"It's really sad that people have to live on the street," said Debbie Smith, who works near one of the crime scenes. "It's about supportive housing, and giving people supportive measures."
Homeless advocates penned an open letter to Mayor Adams on Monday, urging him to reopen hotel rooms to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
"We really need more safe havens, more stabilization beds, these low-barrier low-threshold models that our smaller environment that folks are more likely to enter in and right now the short-term immediate fix is that we have hotel rooms available and that's what the mayor should be green-lighting and focusing on offering folks," said Sara Newman of the Open Hearts Initiative.
Adams insists since New York has a right to shelter, there are already enough beds for all who seek one.
"Anyone that wants shelter will get shelter in the city of New York," he said.
As investigators try to find out more about the suspect, there's a sense of loss among those who knew the victims.
"He was very kind, very sweet. He really kept to himself," said a man named Kevin, who works in SoHo, near where the man was killed. "When you would give him money or give him coffee, he would always say 'God bless you, God keep you.' I can't think of such a tragic story."
The NYPD, Washington, D.C. Police and ATF Washington Field Division are offering a combined reward of $70,000 for information leading to an arrest.
"Let me assure you, ATF and our partners will not rest until this shooter is brought to justice," said Charlie Patterson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives said.
On Sunday, a 42-year-old man was found dead in TriBeCa, but police said it did not appear to be connected to the crime spree.
