A manhunt is underway for a shooter targeting homeless people in New York City and Washington, D.C.

On Sunday, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced that they would be pooling their resources after five shootings across the last two weeks left two dead and three injured. According to police, they believe that they are after the same suspect based on the similarities in evidence, circumstances and victims in each case.

The first shooting took place on March 3 at approximately 4:00 a.m. when MPD officers from the city's Fifth District were responding to reports of gunfire on New York Ave. and discovered a homeless male suffering from gunshot wounds.

A second shooting took place on March 8 when MPD officers from the same district discovered a second victim had been shot that night.

The final victim in D.C. was found a day later on New York Ave. where the first attack took place. After responding to reports of a tent fire in the area, first responders discovered the burned remains of a third homeless man, who an autopsy determined had died from multiple gunshots and stab wounds.

As police in D.C. continued investigating these crimes, the shootings shifted to New York.

On March 12, the NYPD found a 38-year old man had been shot in the arm as he slept along King Street in Lower Manhattan at approximately 4:30 a.m. Less than a day later, police responded to a 911 call at 5:00 p.m. and found a homeless male with gunshot wounds to his arm and head. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police in both cities have released surveillance footage of the suspect, who appears to be a bald, light-skinned man clad in black. In New York, a suspect was captured wearing what appeared to be a balaclava that left most of his face concealed. It is unclear if this is the perpetrator of the D.C. shootings, but police in each department believe they are after the same suspect.

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell and MPD Chief Robert Contee said every investigative resource would be put to use to identify and apprehend the perpetrator of these shootings. The departments are also being joined in their investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Each agency is offering its own rewards for information that leads to the arrest of the perpetrator of these shootings; The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. The MPD is offering up to $25,000, while ATF is offering another $20,000.

The shootings come at a time when both cities are grappling with what to do with the rising homeless population.

In D.C, Mayor Muriel Bowser is moving to clear out homeless encampments across the district. The measure has the support of many residents according to the Washington Post, but it takes place at a time when residents complain about the declining affordability of housing in the nation’s capital.

Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Eric Adams also has plans to remove homeless residents from the city’s subway stations. To do this, Adams aims to deploy a zero-tolerance policy enforced by the NYPD together with more assistance provided by mental health care workers.

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