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4 homeless men killed in New York, apparently while they slept, police say

Posted at 8:20 AM, Oct 05, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-05 08:20:07-04

CNN — Four homeless men in Manhattan have been killed -- and a fifth injured -- in what investigators believe were attacks that began while they were sleeping, New York City police said Saturday.

A suspect -- a 24-year-old man who investigators believe also is homeless -- is in custody, New York police Detective Annette Shelton said.

Investigators believe the victims, found early Saturday in at least three locations in or near Lower Manhattan, were hit with a metal object as they slept, Shelton said.

Police were scouring the crime scenes Saturday morning. Details about what led to the attacks weren't immediately available.

The grisly discoveries began around 2 a.m., when a man's body and an 49-year-old injured man were found in a building in Manhattan's Chinatown neighborhood, according to police.

The injured man was taken to a Manhattan hospital in critical condition, Shelton said.

Three dead men were found later Saturday morning along Broadway -- two near 17th Street and another elsewhere, Shelton said.