In Autryville, Sampson County, North Carolina, four people were discovered dead at a homeless encampment.
Sampson County Sheriff’s deputies, responding to reports of gunfire on Sunday, November 26, 2023, found the bodies at a site that appeared to be a makeshift camp for homeless people. A preliminary investigation suggests that one person was responsible for the deaths of three others before committing suicide.
Dwane Paul Miller, 40, from Marysville, Washington, was identified as the assailant who shot the three victims multiple times before committing suicide, as reported by the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office.
The victims were Carrie Nicole Trampel, 41, with whom Miller had ongoing domestic violence issues from another state, Daniel Jay Wiltshire, 44, and Amber Rae King, 43, both residents of Autryville. The connection, if any, between Miller and the two Autryville victims remained unclear.
The incident highlights a larger, often overlooked crisis of violence against the homeless population across the United States. In recent years, there have been numerous violent attacks against homeless people, with incidents ranging from stabbings to shootings. Los Angeles reported 85 murders of homeless people in 2021, the highest number ever recorded in the city.
Contrary to common misconceptions, people experiencing homelessness are more often victims rather than perpetrators of violence. This misperception contributes to the criminalization of homelessness and overlooks the need for policies focused on their safety.
Los Angeles Police Department data showed a 31% increase in crimes around homeless tents and encampments compared to 2019, while another study in Portland found crime rates 2.9 times more concentrated near encampments than the rest of the city. The National Institutes of Health notes that the homeless population experiences a disproportionately higher rate of both violent and nonviolent crimes compared to the general population.
In Los Angeles, the rate of homicides against unhoused individuals saw a significant increase of 58% between 2019 and 2020. This disturbing trend highlights the urgent need to address the safety of homeless populations and the factors contributing to such violence.