Suspect Arrested in Shootings of at Least 5 Homeless Men in D.C. and NYC

The suspect, who had not been identified at the time of this writing, was arrested Tuesday following a joint press conference from NYC and DC mayors.

March 15, 2022

A suspect has been arrested following the stalking and shooting of multiple individuals struggling with homelessness in New York City and Washington D.C.

The Associated Press reports that the suspect, who is alleged to have fatally shot at least two people and wounded three others, was arrested Tuesday morning in the D.C. area. In a statement shared to social media, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department confirmed the early morning arrest, adding that the suspect is “currently being interviewed” by the department’s homicide division.

In previous statements, officials in both regions had asked for assistance from the general public in tracking down the suspect, at one point sharing a variety of surveillance pics (see above) showing the man in question. At the time of this writing, the suspect’s name had not been publicly released.

Ahead of Tuesday’s arrest, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and NYC Mayor Eric Adams addressed the then-in-progress search during a joint conference detailing the “disturbing series of violent attacks” targeting people in need.

“We believe that there are at least five shootings linked to the same suspect,” Bowser said during Monday’s presser. “In all cases, the victims were men experiencing homelessness who were sleeping outside. Tragically, one person in D.C. died of his injuries and at least one person in New York City has died.” Further condemning the attacks on those experiencing homelessness, Bowser continued, pointing to the “daily dangers” those in need have long faced.

“We know that this is a scary situation,” Bowser said. “We know that our unsheltered residents already face a lot of daily dangers and it is unconscionable anybody would target this vulnerable population.”

The first shooting linked to the suspect took place in the D.C. area on March 3. More recently, authorities found the body of a man alleged to have been fatally shot by the suspect inside a sleeping bag on Lafayette Street in the SoHo area. Complex has reached out to the Metropolitan Police Department in D.C. for additional comment on Tuesday’s arrest and will update this post accordingly.