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Atlanta Police Searching for Killer Who May Be Targeting Homeless

Two homeless men were found shot dead in separate incidents on Monday and Wednesday. Police warn that other transients may be targets.
Homeless man tries to stay warm along an icy Peachtree Street after a snow carpeted the Deep South in Atlanta..
Ted Devon who is homeless and could not get into a shelter tries to stay warm along an icy Peachtree Street after a snow carpeted the Deep South in Atlanta, Georgia, January 10, 2011. Snow and ice carpeted much of the U.S. Deep South on Monday, leaving one person dead in Alabama, cutting off power to around 4,000 people in Georgia and closing countless roads, authorities said. Tami Chappell / Reuters, file

Atlanta’s homeless community is on edge after police say two men sleeping on the street were fatally shot in separate incidents this week. Both victims were hit multiple times, and authorities are investigating whether the murders are linked, reported NBC affiliate WXIA.

“Please be aware that it appears that we have somebody that is targeting people that are sleeping at night, and we’re very concerned about that,” said Capt. Paul Guerrucci. He added that someone with a grudge against the homeless could be responsible for the murders.

“That is a possibility that we are seriously considering,” he added.

The first victim, in his 40s, was found dead Monday in a small park he was known for sleeping at, just a couple of blocks from Emory University Hospital in the city’s downtown, police said.

Two days later, the body of 64-year-old Tommy Mims, nicknamed Can Man, was found under a railroad bridge. Both men suffered multiple gunshot wounds and were found about two miles apart.

“We believe that most likely both were shot in the evening,” Guerrucci said.

Anita Beaty, of the Metropolitan Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, told NBC News on Friday that the city’s homeless are being vigilant as police advise them to use a “buddy system” on the streets. She is passing out fliers warning them that the perpetrator is still out there.

“This seems to be a hate crime against the homeless,” Beatty said. “All these people were asleep, wrapped up in the cold and they weren’t doing anything. What a horrible, frightening pattern.”

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— Erik Ortiz