WASHINGTON police today arrested a suspect over the shooting of five homeless men in the capital city and New York, said officials.

Two men were killed and three wounded in the shootings that took place over the past 10 days, with Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and her New York counterpart Eric Adams calling the perpetrator a “cold-blooded killer”.

Police said the suspect is being interviewed by law enforcement in a tweet early today.

Authorities have offered large cash rewards for information that leads to the killer’s arrest, with police releasing images of a shaven-headed and bearded male suspect dressed all in black.

The first shooting took place in the early hours of March 3 in northeast Washington. The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to officials.

A second homeless victim was shot and wounded five days later in the same area, said police. He also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The next day, police said, a homeless man was found dead with stab and gunshot wounds in northeast Washington. His tent, where he had been living, had caught fire.

On Saturday, a 38-year-old man was shot in the arm in Lower Manhattan during the night, said police.

About a half-hour later, officers found the lifeless body of another man in a sleeping bag in the same neighborhood. He was shot in the head and neck.

New York police commissioner Keechant Sewell decried the attacks.

“Our homeless population is one of our most vulnerable, and an individual preying on them as they sleep is an exceptionally heinous crime,” he said earlier this week. – AFP, March 15, 2022.