4 homeless men beaten to death overnight in New York City
Updated on: October 5, 2019 / 11:20 AM
By Justin Carissimo
Four homeless men were beaten to death by a man wielding a metal pipe in New York City, police said. A fifth victim, who was believed to be homeless, was hospitalized with injuries.
A 24-year-old person of interest was taken into custody. Police have recovered the murder weapon and said the man in custody is also homeless.
Police responded to reports of a fight at 1:40 a.m. Saturday in Manhattan's Chinatown neighborhood, where first responders discovered a victim who suffered trauma to his head. They discovered three other victims just a block away. Police said the victims were apparently sleeping when the attack occurred.
The fifth victim, a 49-year-old male, was hospitalized in serious condition. Police planned to hold a news conference on Saturday morning with updates on the killings.
"It is very scary, you know, because I walk through here all the time, going to the library and everything," resident Carla Williams told CBS New York.
Police said the motive appears to be a random attack and not a hate crime.
First published on October 5, 2019 / 8:24 AM
© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/homeless-men-killed-while-sleeping-new-york-city-chinatown-today-2019-10-05/