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4 homeless men killed in New York City’s Chinatown area, apparently while they slept, police say

The NYPD is investigating a strange incident where homeless men across several areas were reportedly beaten to death.
Homeless Man killed Police

(CNN) — Four homeless men have been killed — and a fifth injured — around Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood 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 three locations in or near Chinatown, were hit with a metal pipe as they slept, police 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 someone called 911 to report an assault near a building in Chinatown, police said.

The officers found a man’s body in the street and were approached by an injured 49-year-old man, according to police.

Two witnesses told police a man with black jacket and black pants struck the victims numerous times with a metal object, police said Saturday at a news conference.

Officers started searching the area and found a man matching the attacker’s description about a quarter-mile away, police said.

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

Later Saturday morning, officers found three other dead men along Broadway in or near Chinatown, police said.

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