Man Arrested In DC, NYC Shootings Of Homeless Faces 1st-Degree Murder Charge

WASHINGTON, DC — A man wanted for a string of five shootings targeting homeless men in Washington, D.C., and New York City, was charged with first-degree murder on Tuesday.

Gerald Brevard III, 30, was taken into custody walking near his residence in Southeast D.C., according to the Washington Post, which reported his family said he suffered from mental illness.

Metropolitan Police Department charged Brevard with first-degree murder while armed in connection with the March 9 death of 54-year-old Morgan Holmes, a homeless man whose body was recovered from a burning tent in D.C.

Police also charged Brevard with assault with a dangerous weapon in the March 3 shooting of a homeless man in the 1100 block of New York Avenue, Northeast. He faces an additional charge of assault with intent to kill in the March 8 shooting of a homeless man in the 1700 block of H Street, Northeast. In both of those cases, the victims were taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

At first, police did not link Holmes' death to the two other shootings in the District. It was only after the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy that it was discovered Holmes had suffered multiple gunshot and stab wounds. His death was declared a homicide.

In New York City on Saturday, two other homeless men were shot, one fatally. The first victim, a 38-year-old man, was shot in the arm around 4:30 a.m., while he slept on King Street near Varick Street. The fifth victim died after suffering multiple gunshot wounds to the head and neck around 6 a.m.

Police were able to link the shooting cases in the two cities after Capt. Keith Kentish, an MPD homicide detective from New York, saw an image on social media of the man wanted in the fatal shooting in New York City.

After Kentish shared the photo with his colleagues, MPD determined the suspect was the same as the person wanted in the two shootings in NYC. Reaching out through the D.C. office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the two police departments began sharing information and data.

Related: $70K Reward In Shooting Of 5 Homeless Men; Suspect Video Released

"Our partnership with the community and across the criminal justice system proved extremely valuable, leading us to a swift identification of our suspect and ultimate apprehension here in Washington, D.C.," MPD Chief Robert J. Contee III said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

After receiving an anonymous tip, police were able to identify Brevard as a possible suspect, according to Contee. Later in the day, Brevard posted photos on social media showing that he was in the District.

ATF agents arrested Brevard around 2:30 a.m., on Tuesday in the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, Southeast. He was then taken to MPD, where he was interviewed by homicide investigators.

Tuesday's criminal charges were not the first Brevard has faced. In 2021, he was found guilty of abduction with the intent to defile and assault and battery in Fairfax County General District Court in Virginia.

The charges stemmed from a Nov. 27, 2020, incident outside a hotel in Herndon. He was also convicted of burglary in a separate incident at a Herndon home the following December.

In both cases, Brevard was sentenced to 12 months of supervised probation and court costs, which remain unpaid, according to court documents. He is due back in court in Fairfax County to face two misdemeanor probation violation charges, according to court documents.

The five shootings of homeless men in the District and NYC were linked by guns used in both cities, according to police officials. Two of the shootings were fatal and deemed homicides.

Authorities said Sunday they were pursuing the same suspect in all five shootings due to similarities in the cases and ballistics evidence found at each of the crime scenes.

Contee told reporters Tuesday afternoon that police had not recovered a firearm in any of the crime scenes, either in New York or the District.

"We do not have a firearm at this point," Contee said. "But based on all the evidence that we pulled together in this case, the video evidence, the images that we've seen ... I'm very confident that this is the person. We feel we have enough probable cause to charge that person with the crimes that have occurred here in the District of Columbia.

Earlier in the day, New York police described Brevard as a person of interest in their investigation and had not charged him with any crimes.

On Monday, officials announced that a combined $70,000 reward was being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person wanted in connection with the five shooting incidents.