Suspect in 3 LA homeless deaths arrested

A suspect in the killing of three homeless men in Los Angeles was already in police custody on charges he killed a county employee and has now been charged with those deaths, police said Saturday.

A handgun found in the car of Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, matched the one used to kill the three men. His car also matched the description of a car seen on surveillance cameras where one of the men was shot.

It's possible but not confirmed that Powell could be the same person who killed a homeless man in Las Vegas and injured four others.

The county employee he allegedly killed Tuesday during a follow-home robbery was a father of two from San Dimas, California.

The three homeless men were killed in their sleep in the early hours of Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday morning, respectively.

City officials are urging homeless people not to sleep alone and are making additional shelter beds available to such individuals in light of the crimes.