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| 4 Homeless Men Beaten to Death in Manhattan’s Chinatown | 4 Homeless Men Beaten to Death in Manhattan’s Chinatown |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| At least four men, all believed to be homeless, were killed in Manhattan by an assailant who struck them with a metal object while they were sleeping early Saturday morning, a police spokesman said. | At least four men, all believed to be homeless, were killed in Manhattan by an assailant who struck them with a metal object while they were sleeping early Saturday morning, a police spokesman said. |
| A fifth victim, 49, was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, according to the spokesman, Lt. Thomas Antonetti of the New York Police Department. | |
| A 24-year-old man was in custody, Lieutenant Antonetti said, and a metal object about 3 feet long was recovered by the police. | |
| A senior police official said investigators had not yet determined a motive in the killings. Another official said initial indications suggested that the attacks had not been motivated by racial bias because the victims were of different races. | |
| The authorities were alerted to the rampage by a 911 call at 1:50 a.m. Saturday “from an uninvolved party,” Lieutenant Antonetti said, adding that the assaults took place in Chinatown and close to the Lower East Side. | The authorities were alerted to the rampage by a 911 call at 1:50 a.m. Saturday “from an uninvolved party,” Lieutenant Antonetti said, adding that the assaults took place in Chinatown and close to the Lower East Side. |
| The attack began around 1:40 a.m., the police said, when a man with “severe trauma to the head” was discovered on the Bowery. Shortly afterward, the police discovered another man, 49, with injuries to his head. He was taken to the hospital. | |
| It appears that the first two victims were together when the attacker set upon them, a police official said. | |
| “He kills two guys together — two guys are sleeping together,” the official said. “Then he kills two more around the corner.” | |
| Three other men were found on Broadway and East Broadway with fatal injuries, the police said. The suspect was not immediately identified. | |
| Lieutenant Antonetti said the police had “tentative” IDs for the victims, who were all believed to be homeless. | |
| Investigators said they could not precisely identify the weapon believed to have been was used to kill the men. Officials said it resembled a length of the kind of lightweight aluminum framing material used to support drywall boards, known as a Sheetrock stud. | |
| In New York City, population 8.5 million, nearly 1 in 121 New Yorkers is homeless, according to the Bowery Mission, an advocacy group. The Coalition for the Homeless put the number of homeless people in the city’s shelter system in August at 61,674, including 14,806 families with 21,802 children. | In New York City, population 8.5 million, nearly 1 in 121 New Yorkers is homeless, according to the Bowery Mission, an advocacy group. The Coalition for the Homeless put the number of homeless people in the city’s shelter system in August at 61,674, including 14,806 families with 21,802 children. |
| The city has seen a steady rise in its homeless population, primarily because of a lack of affordable housing, the coalition says. “Compared to homeless families, homeless single adults have much higher rates of serious mental illness, addiction disorders and other severe health problems,” the group says. | The city has seen a steady rise in its homeless population, primarily because of a lack of affordable housing, the coalition says. “Compared to homeless families, homeless single adults have much higher rates of serious mental illness, addiction disorders and other severe health problems,” the group says. |
| Advocates say it’s impossible to get a definitive count of the number of homeless people living on New York City streets, in the subways and in other public spaces, but it is thought to number in the thousands. | Advocates say it’s impossible to get a definitive count of the number of homeless people living on New York City streets, in the subways and in other public spaces, but it is thought to number in the thousands. |
| In 2016, amid signs that street homelessness was rising to epidemic levels, based on calls to the 311 emergency line, thousands of volunteers fanned out across the city to assess the crisis. | In 2016, amid signs that street homelessness was rising to epidemic levels, based on calls to the 311 emergency line, thousands of volunteers fanned out across the city to assess the crisis. |
| Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2017 called for a “blood-and-guts war strategy” to tackle the problem, including opening 90 new shelters. | Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2017 called for a “blood-and-guts war strategy” to tackle the problem, including opening 90 new shelters. |
| An annual count conducted in late January this year estimated that 3,588 people were living on the streets. | An annual count conducted in late January this year estimated that 3,588 people were living on the streets. |
| William K. Rashbaum contributed reporting. |