In the second week of March, a shadow fell across two of the continent's most prominent cities, as men who had nowhere to sleep became the targets of a gunman whose identity remains unknown. Over a single week, at least five people experiencing homelessness were shot in Washington and New York, and at least two of them died, a toll that the mayors of both cities have framed as an assault on the most exposed among them. It arrives at a moment already strained by rising violence and by the lingering wounds of a pandemic, when the question of who a city is willing to protect has never been more v
Police Hunt Gunman Targeting Homeless Men in New York and D.C. After Five Shot in One Week
At least five homeless men were shot and at least two died in the week-long shooting spree across New York City and Washington, D.C.
Deliberately doing harm to an already vulnerable population
Mark
Five men shot in a week, two cities. Why does this story land so heavily?
Mimi
Because the victims were chosen, as far as the mayors are saying, for being vulnerable. Their statement talks about someone deliberately harming an already vulnerable population.
Luke
Careful there. The mayors say deliberately, but the reporting doesn't tell us how police know it's one person, or that the same gun was used in both cities. The suspect is described only as an unknown male.
Mark
So the link between D.C. and New York is the mayors' framing?
Mimi
It's in their joint statement, yes. Three men shot in D.C. from March 3 to 9, one died. Then at least two in New York over the weekend, at least one dead.
Luke
And note the hedges: at least two died, at least two shot in New York. The count could change.
Mark
What's the backdrop?
Mimi
Violent crime up 20 per cent in D.C., shootings up 14 per cent in New York, both compared with last year. Both mayors are trying to revive their economies.
Luke
Those figures show a rising trend, but they don't tell us the shootings are connected to it. And the MoMA stabbing is a separate incident.
Mark
And the shelter numbers?
Mimi
D.C.'s unsheltered count rose over four per cent to 681. In New York, a subway sweep expelled 455 people in its first week and placed 22 in shelters.
Luke
Though the source admits it's unclear how many of the 455 were homeless. Don't read that as 455 homeless people.
O Pulso
- A gunman with a semi-automatic handgun is stalking unsheltered men across two cities, and no one yet knows his face.
- Shootings in Washington and New York have jolted leaders already grappling with climbing violent crime, pushing an uneasy spotlight onto the streets.
- Police in both cities are racing to identify and arrest a suspect before another life is taken.
- Mayors Adams and Bowser have issued a joint plea urging people sleeping rough to move into shelters, but the outcome remains uncertain.
In the second week of March, a shadow fell across two of the continent's most prominent cities, as men who had nowhere to sleep became the targets of a gunman whose identity remains unknown. Over a single week, at least five people experiencing homelessness were shot in Washington and New York, and at least two of them died, a toll that the mayors of both cities have framed as an assault on the most exposed among them. It arrives at a moment already strained by rising violence and by the lingering wounds of a pandemic, when the question of who a city is willing to protect has never been more visible. For now, the story rests on two unanswered questions: whether the shooter can be found, and whether those living outside will come in from the cold.
Between March 3 and March 9, three men were shot in Washington, D.C., and one of them died. Then, over the weekend, at least two more men were shot in New York City by an unknown man carrying a semi-automatic handgun, and at least one of them died. Every victim was experiencing homelessness, and police in both cities are now hunting the person suspected of the shootings.
In a joint statement, New York Mayor Eric Adams and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser called the pursuit urgent, saying the suspect must be taken off the streets before he harms anyone else. Both mayors said they were shaken by the violence and by the cruelty of deliberately targeting people already so vulnerable. They urged those living outdoors to seek shelter.
The attacks come as both leaders contend with rising crime. Violent crime in D.C. is up 20 percent this year, and shootings in New York are up 14 percent, complicating efforts to revive tourism and the economy after the pandemic. Both cities also have large unsheltered populations, a reality that makes these victims hard to protect and easy to overlook.
Between March 3 and March 9, three men were shot in Washington, D.C. One of them died. Then, over this past weekend, at least two more men were shot in New York City by an unknown male carrying a semi-automatic handgun, and at least one of those men died. All of the victims were experiencing homelessness, and police in both cities are now searching for a person suspected of being behind the shootings.
The tally comes from a joint statement issued by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser. Across the two cities, at least five men have been shot and at least two have died. The mayors said the work to get the individual off the streets before he hurts or kills someone else is urgent. They also said the rise in gun violence has shaken all of them, and that it is particularly horrible to know someone is deliberately harming an already vulnerable population. They urged people living on the street to seek shelter.
The attacks land at a difficult moment for both mayors, who have been dealing with high-profile outbursts of violence and increases in certain categories of crime. Those trends have complicated efforts to bring tourists back and restart their economies after the pandemic. In D.C., violent crime is up 20 per cent so far this year compared with the same period of 2021. In New York City, shooting incidents are up 14 per cent over the year before.
New York saw other violence this weekend. On Saturday afternoon, a man who had been denied entry to the Museum of Modern Art stabbed two employees at the reception desk. NYPD officials said at a press conference that his membership had expired because of two earlier incidents of disorderly conduct.
The victims belong to a population that both jurisdictions know well. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, D.C. and New York state have among the highest rates of homelessness in the country. A D.C. point-in-time count found the number of sheltered homeless people has dropped slightly over the past few years, while the unsheltered population rose by more than four per cent, to 681.
New York City has seen its share of people in the shelter system decline slightly over the past few fiscal years. A January 2021 survey counted nearly 2,400 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness on the city's streets and in its subway system. Even so, the number of single adults in the city's shelter system has nearly doubled since fiscal 2012, to an average of 16,591 per day.
Adams has made the subway a focus. A safety plan he unveiled in February aims to clear homeless people from the system by enforcing rules against sleeping on trains, using small teams of social workers to connect people with services alongside a larger police deployment. In the first week of the effort, 455 people were expelled from the system, though it is unclear how many of them were homeless. Outreach teams placed 22 people in shelters.
For now, the immediate questions are whether police can identify and arrest the suspect, and how many unsheltered people in either city heed the mayors' call to come indoors.
Citações Notáveis
The work to get this individual off our streets before he hurts or murders another individual is urgent.— Mayors Eric Adams and Muriel Bowser, joint statement
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