Two homeless men in Las Vegas were shot and killed while they were sleeping and police think the incidents could be linked.
Most recently, James Edgar Lewis was gunned down in his sleep under a Las Vegas freeway on Friday, CNN reported.
Video footage of the incident released on Facebook by police shows a dark-colored SUV drive past and a few seconds later a man emerges, walking up to Lewis and firing two shots from close range before fleeing.
Lewis' death, which occurred at North 14th Street and US 95, has been described by police as an execution and is the third incident in which a homeless person in the area was murdered within days, KSNV reported.
On Jan. 29, a homeless man was shot and killed while sleeping outside the Rancho Discount Mall in the 2900 block of Washington Avenue, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
A third homeless person was stabbed to death on Jan 28, although CNN noted that the incident could have arisen from an altercation.
In addition to these incidents, the Las Vegas Sun noted that there was also a nonfatal shooting during which a homeless man was shot in the face in the early-morning hours near Washington Avenue and Veterans Memorial Park. Police said the incident could be connected to the other murders.
Forensic testing will reveal whether all the events are linked.
"We can't 100 percent say they're connected, but there are some similarities," said Metro Lt. Dan McGrath per the Las Vegas Sun. "Other violent incidents against transients across the central valley also are being evaluated."
McGrath added that "everybody is alarmed, from the sheriff all the way down."
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