Homeless Shooting Spree Investigation Leads To Arrest: Police

LOWER MANHATTAN, NY — A man wanted in connection to the shooting of five different homeless people in Washington D.C. and New York City has been arrested, police announced on Tuesday.

"Due to the excellent teamwork by great NYPD investigators and our partners in the D.C. Police Department, ATF, and FBI, the suspect has been apprehended in Washington D.C.," the NYPD's 62nd Precinct tweeted out Tuesday morning.

Due to the excellent teamwork by great NYPD investigators and our partners in the @DCPoliceDept, @ATFHQ, and @FBI, the suspect (below) has been apprehended in Washington D.C. https://t.co/BRCAVBTGFq
— NYPD 62nd Precinct (@NYPD62Pct) March 15, 2022

D.C. police originally announced the arrest around 5:40 a.m. on Tuesday, saying the suspect was currently getting interviewed at their Homicide Branch and more information would be coming.

The arrest happened a few hours after the clear photos of the suspect's face shown above were released to the public.

Outside of the similarities of the shootings that took place between March 3 and 12, law enforcement used a ballistics match to connect the attacks in the two major cities.

The first attack happened on March 3 in D.C., when around 4 a.m. police responded to shots fired and found a man with gunshot wounds in the 1100 block of New York Avenue Northeast, police said. He was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Five days later, police in Washington D.C. responded to reports of a shooting around 1:21 a.m. and found a man with a gunshot wound in the 1700 block of H Street Northeast, officers said. He was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

• Read More: Homeless Targeted In 5 NYC And DC Shootings, Police Say

A day later on March 9, the Metropolitan Police Department found a tent fire around 3 a.m. at the 400 block of New York Avenue Northeast. When the fire was extinguished, officers found not breathing with multiple stab and gunshot wounds, officers said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The fourth and fifth shootings happened in Lower Manhattan on March 12, when two men were shot sleeping on the streets, police said. The first man was shot in the arm around 4:30 a.m. near King and Varick streets in SoHo, while a second man was shot in the head and killed inside a sleeping bag at 148 Lafayette St., police said.

All five of the men attacked were homeless, police added.

Mayor Eric Adams released a joint statement with Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Sunday urging homeless people to seek shelter and get off the streets.