The NYPD is searching for a suspect who shot two homeless men while they were sleeping in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood.
One of the victims laid on the sidewalk dead for 12 hours before it was discovered that he had been murdered.
“One of the victims died after being shot in the head and the neck at 6am on 148 Lafayette Street, opposite the exclusive and expensive 11 Howard hotel. It took 12 hours for police to realize he was dead and recover his body – riddled with bullet holes – from the bright yellow sleeping bag he’d been in,” the Daily Mail reports. “At 4.30am, the killer shot a different homeless man in the arm on nearby King Street. That victim survived and was taken to the hospital.”
The first victim was a 38-year-old man who woke up and yelled “what the hell are you doing?” before being shot in the neck. He is now at Bellevue Hospital and is expected to survive. His name has not been released to the public at this time.
The killer is seen in the footage kicking and prodding the second victim before shooting him. The victim’s name has not been released, but he has been described as being Hispanic.
“Homelessness turning into a homicide. We need to find this person and we need New Yorkers to help us. This is a cold-blooded act of murder,” Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference on Saturday night.
“I believe that’s what makes this case so horrific, watching the video, watching the individual intentionally walk up to innocent people that are dealing with the challenges of homelessness – and it’s quite possible that one of our citizens is still alive merely because he woke up,” Adams added. “And I’m here today to send a very clear message, that all New Yorkers matter.”
Adams continued, “Two individuals were shot while sleeping on the streets, not committing a crime but sleeping on the streets.”
Police have said that they will be working to get the homeless into shelters while the killer remains on the loose.