Killings of homeless men shake New York's Chinatown

The deadly bludgeoning of four homeless men while they slept in Manhattan's Chinatown has startled the city. A fifth victim was left in a critical condition.

Randy Santos, 24, who also is homeless, allegedly confessed to the crimes in which he used a 3-foot (90-centimeter) length of construction metal, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Alfred Peterson said, according to The New York Post.

"While he was in the 5th Precinct, he was shown video of the attacks and he admitted that he was the person in the video," Peterson said.

Peterson also said that the weapon was "covered in blood and hair" when police caught him carrying it over his shoulder early on Saturday.

Apprehending Santos likely prevented more bloodshed, because "the way he was walking, it looked like he was looking for more victims", a source told the newspaper.

One of the slain men, 83-year-old Cheun Kok, was sleeping on a cardboard box when he was attacked shortly before 2 am on Saturday.

The survivor, a 49-year-old man who has not been identified, was listed in critical condition at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center on Sunday. The other victims also have not yet been identified.

Santos, whose last known address was a homeless shelter in Brooklyn, was charged with four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and criminal possession of marijuana in the rampage along East Broadway and the Bowery streets near Chatham Square.

In November, Santos was arrested in an incident in which a man was bitten on the chest inside a building on West 35th Street. It was one of Santos' 14 arrests, sources told the Post.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Santos described himself as "tranquil" on a Facebook page.

Judge James Clynes ordered that the suspect be held without bail before another hearing on Friday.

"This senseless and devastating act of violence against the most vulnerable members of our community must serve as a wake-up call: We must do more than the bare minimum to help the tens of thousands of New Yorkers in our homeless shelters and on our streets," said city councilor Margaret Chin.

As he washed away blood in front of his store, Tang Wu, manager of the Forever Health Pharmacy on East Broadway, told The New York Times: "They have nowhere to live and you beat them to death. How terrible."

The crimes came at a time when Chinatown has seen a rising number of homeless people on its streets along with an increase in real estate prices.

Eric Lee, manager of Dim Sum Go Go, said the number of homeless in Kimlau Square has more than doubled, from about four to more than 10, he said.

"They're sleeping here - on mattresses, benches. They're hanging out here, drinking, smoking. Overnight. It's not good. It affects our business. They drink a lot, they get rowdy and loud," he said.

Karlin Chan, a member of the local community board, said that the homeless relieving themselves in city parks also has been a major concern.

According to a report by the nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless, there were 61,674 homeless people in New York City in August, with more than 3,500 of them camping out on city streets and other public places.