Update: Arrest Made. “NYPD and Washington, DC, MPD Announce Investigation into Several Shooting Incidents, Homeless Victims Targeted”

“Above are images of the suspect in Washington DC and New York City.”

Update from the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Robert J. Contee, III, and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Keechant Sewell today announced the arrest of the suspect in multiple shootings and murders of individuals experiencing homelessness across New York City and Washington, DC. Between March 3 and March 9, three men were shot in Washington, DC and one of those men succumbed to his injuries. This past weekend, two men were shot in New York City and one of those men succumbed to his injuries. MPD, the NYPD, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began coordinating immediately on Sunday morning. Mayor Adams and Mayor Bowser spoke on Sunday as well, and both mayors, Commissioner Sewell, Chief Contee, ATF and others met yesterday to discuss the manhunt to locate the suspect.

“We want to thank everyone in Washington, DC, New York City, and elsewhere who sent in tips about this suspect. I also want to thank Mayor Adams and his team in New York, our team at MPD, as well as our federal partners at the ATF for their collaboration and partnership. We said that the work to remove this man from our streets was urgent and our communities responded,” said Mayor Bowser. “We know that this experience has been especially scary for our residents experiencing homelessness. Our work continues to end homelessness and ensure all residents have access to safe and affordable housing. Our work also continues to get guns off our streets, to address the proliferation of firearms, and to prevent violence while also working swiftly to hold people accountable when they terrorize and bring harm to our communities.”

“Yesterday, I stood with Commissioner Sewell, Mayor Bowser, Chief Contee, and the ATF to show the coordinated effort between multiple cities and the federal government to bring a cold-blooded killer to justice, and, today, we’re proud to announce that that suspect is in custody,” said New York City Mayor Adams. “This man targeted those experiencing homelessness with no regard for life, but this criminal is now off the streets. Gun violence against anyone, let alone our most vulnerable populations, is sick, but thanks to the coordination between different levels of law enforcement and the public’s help, those experiencing homelessness can breathe a sigh of relief today. The recent rise in gun violence remains a concern for us all, and we will do everything in our power to keep our citizens safe because public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity.”

“I want to personally thank our community members who submitted tips and information in this case, and thank our law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts in bringing this individual to justice,” said Chief Contee. “It is essential for us to work together as a community to close cases, and show the world that there is no place for those who commit violence in our communities.”.

“Excellent detective work, teamwork with our partners from the Metropolitan Police in DC at the ATF, and the FBI culminated in the arrest of the suspect in five shootings, including two murders of homeless men in New York City and Washington, DC,” said Commissioner Sewell. “People experiencing homelessness have many worries to cope with every day. Tonight, they will have one less.”

From MPD:

“Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell and Chief of Police Robert J. Contee, III of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, DC, announce that several shootings that occurred in the District of Columbia and New York City have been committed by the same suspect. Both departments are investigating these offenses jointly with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Between the two cities, there have been five shootings, including two homicides. In each offense, the victims were experiencing homelessness.

The most recent shootings occurred in New York City in the early morning hours of March 12. Both incidents involve homeless men who were sleeping on the street and were shot, without provocation, by a male suspect. Below is the timeline of the five shooting offenses, which includes two homicides.

Washington, DC offenses:

On Thursday, March 3, 2022 at approximately 4:00 am, members of the Fifth District responded to the 1100 block of New York Avenue, Northeast for the sounds of gunshots. Upon arrival, members located an adult male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

On Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at approximately 1:21 am, members of the Fifth District responded to the 1700 block of H Street, Northeast for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, members located an adult male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

On Wednesday, March 9, 2022, at approximately 2:54 am, a member of the Metropolitan Police Department was in the area of the 400 block of New York Avenue, Northeast and observed a tent fire. DC Fire and EMS responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. Further investigation revealed the remains of an adult male which displayed no signs consistent with life and was pronounced deceased. The victim remained on scene until transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. As a result of an autopsy, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was multiple stab and gunshot wounds. The manner of death was ruled a Homicide.

New York City offenses:

On March 12, 2022, at approximately 4:30 am, a 38-year-old male was shot in the arm while sleeping on King Street near Varick Street.

On March 12, 2022, at approximately 5:00 pm, New York City police responded to a 911 call for an unidentified male suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses in the area reported hearing gunshots at approximately 6:00 am.

Given the similarity in the modus operandi of the perpetrator, common circumstances involved in each shooting, circumstances of the victims and recovered evidence, the NYPD, the MPDC and the ATF will jointly investigate these offenses.

Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said: “Our homeless population is one of our most vulnerable and an individual praying on them as they sleep is an exceptionally heinous crime. We will use every tool, every technique and every partner to bring the killer to justice.”

Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee said: “From the first incident, the Metropolitan Police has spared no resource in our efforts to identify the suspect behind these cowardly acts. We are committed to sharing every investigative path, clue and piece of evidence with our law enforcement partners to bring this investigation to a swift conclusion and the individual behind these vicious crimes to justice.”

ATF Director Marvin Richardson said: “Our Washington and New York City field offices have been working hand-in-hand with the DC metropolitan police and the New York Police Department from the outset. One of these shootings occurred within blocks of our Washington DC headquarters. We have used our advanced ATF systems to conduct real-time analysis backed up by our ATF National Lab in Maryland to expedite the evidence and assist in the investigations and Washington DC and New York City. Our three agencies are one team.”

Anyone who can identify this individual or who has knowledge of these incidents should call police in Washington, DC at 202-727-9099 or text your tip to MPD’s anonymous text tip line at 50411. The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for this offense. The ATF Washington Field Division is offering an additional $20,000.

Anyone who can identify this individual or who has knowledge of these incidents should call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential. A combined reward in the amount of $10,000 is being offered in regard to the below listed incident. Up to $3,500 payable by CrimeStoppers upon arrest and indictment and $6,500 payable by NYPD upon arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this incident. “