Los Angeles authorities who have been struggling to deal with a homelessness crisis in the city for years urged "unhoused" individuals to "come in" Friday, saying that a serial killer is believed to be on the loose targeting people sleeping alone outdoors.
Three shooting murders happened in the early morning hours of Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, according to authorities. One was killed on a couch in an alley. Another was gunned down while sleeping on a sidewalk. A third victim was pushing a shopping cart, stopped near an exterior power outlet, and was shot and killed.
In all three cases, a lone suspect walked up, opened fire, and walked away, he said. However, police also released a surveillance image of a potential suspect vehicle.
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The city's police chief, Michel Moore, described the suspect only as a lone individual believed to be male, wearing a hoodie and other simple clothing. There are no known eyewitnesses. He said that it's still early in the investigation, but detectives believe the same person committed all three murders.
The victims were not in or near homeless encampments but were on the streets alone.
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"We don't know what the motive is on this, except we know that the targeting is three individuals, sleeping alone, that were houseless," Moore said.
Other than being homeless, the victims did not have much else in common, he added.
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"Those that are alone, do not be alone," he warned, after Mayor Karen Bass urged people to seek shelters.
"We will find you, we will catch you, and you will be held accountable," Bass vowed.
Fox News' Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
