Police and prosecutors issued a plea on Friday for assistance from the public in identifying the perpetrator who murdered three homeless individuals in the past week.
The killings took place in the early hours of November 26, 27, and 29 in downtown and South Los Angeles. LAPD Chief Michel Moore stated that the motive is unknown, but the similarities between the attacks and the victims are evident.
“We know that the targeting is three individuals, sleeping alone, houseless, unsheltered, that were, we believe, by the evidence we have, were selected,” Moore said regarding the attacks.
During a news conference on Friday, the police displayed an image from security video that could potentially reveal the killer and a getaway car. However, detectives did not specify from which scene the images were obtained.
A detailed description of the individual sought for the killings was not provided, and the car was only described as a dark-colored sedan.
Moore refrained from classifying the assailant as a serial killer.
“We have no evidence of disputes, altercations, of any type of articulation that would somehow say this was a spontaneous event,” Moore said, adding that there was no evidence the shootings were related to other crimes, like robberies.
The killings occurred when the victims were alone on the street, Moore explained. Two of the men were sleeping, and a third was attempting to charge his phone when he was shot.
Moore mentioned that detectives were examining other recent reports of street violence to find similarities. However, he stated that at this point, it appeared that only these three shootings were connected.
“We have had additional shootings since Wednesday, but none of them have involved this type of violence,” he remarked.
Individuals experiencing homelessness have represented a disproportionately high number of murder victims in recent years. In January, the I-Team reported that 24 percent of the victims of the 381 murders that occurred in Los Angeles in 2022 were described as homeless.
“This news is devastating,” Bass remarked at Friday’s news conference. “This is a killer who is preying on the unhoused.”
Bass stated that homeless outreach workers were being dispatched to check on encampments and urge those living on the streets to find somewhere safer to go until this killer is caught.
She urged members of the public who know someone who is homeless to try to contact that person as soon as possible.
“That’s why I appeal to all Angelenos, anybody that has a connection with someone who is unhoused, please contact them, go find them, call them, and tell them not to be alone tonight,” Bass said.
The LAPD established a special hotline for sharing tips or other information about the case and the identity of the killer: 213-486-6890.
