Everything we know about suspect in serial killings of homeless people in NYC and DC

‘In addition to all the dangers that unsheltered residents face, we now have a cold-blooded killer on the loose,’ New York and DC mayors say in joint statement

A man suspected in a string of attacks on homeless people across New York City and Washington DC is being held without bail on first-degree murder charges.

Gerald Brevard III, 30, was arrested on Tuesday in the nation’s capital following a massive manhunt across both cities. He is accused of stalking and shooting five homeless men - two fatally - as they slept on the streets over a 10-day period this month.

Police linked the cases through ballistics evidence, telephone records and Mr Brevard’s social media posts, prosecutors said at his arraignment on Wednesday.

The suspect was ordered held without bail on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of 54-year-old Morgan Holmes, who was found shot and stabbed inside a burning tent in Washington.

Mr Brevard, who is said to have an extensive rap sheet and history of mental illness, has not been formally charged in the other shootings.

Here’s everything we know so far:

Timeline of events

The earliest known shooting happened at around 4am on 3 March in Washington, police said, when a man was shot and wounded in the city’s Northeast section.

A second man was wounded on 8 March, just before 1.30am. Surveillance video captured the man yelling “no, no, no” and “please don’t shoot” after a gunshot was fired, wounding him, according to court documents.

Roughly 24 hours after the second shooting, Holmes was found dead inside a burning tent. He was initially thought to have suffered fatal burns, but an autopsy revealed he had died of multiple stab and gunshot wounds.

Prosecutors said the suspect was caught on surveillance video pouring gasoline into a cup at a gas station nearby about 30 minutes before Holmes was discovered.

All three shootings took place within two miles of each other, with the first and third only half-a-mile apart.

Three hours after Holmes’ body was found on 9 March, Mr Brevard allegedly boarded a train at Washington’s Union Station and made his way to New York City, where he was seen on surveillance footage at Penn Station in Manhattan on 12 March.

The fourth attack took place at about 4.30am that day, when a 38-year-old man sleeping on the street by the Holland Tunnel was shot in the arm.

The gunman fled the scene and went on to fatally shoot another man in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood 90 minutes later, police say. The unidentified victim was found dead of gunshot wounds to the head and neck inside his sleeping bag, according to the New York City medical examiner’s office.

A potential sixth victim was shot while a vigil was held for the earlier victims, according to the New York Times, although that has yet to be confirmed.

The NYPD released surveillance footage of the Manhattan attacks on Sunday and shared investigators’ belief that the two shootings were linked to the three others in Washington.

Authorities warned homeless individuals to seek shelter from the suspected serial killer.

Mayors Muriel Bowser of Washington and Eric Adams of New York City gave a joint briefing on Monday in which they urged witnesses to come forward as a $70,000 reward was offered for information leading to the suspect’s capture.

Homeless Attacks (New York Police Department)

Suspect arrested

Hours after the mayor’s briefing, police identified and arrested Mr Brevard in Washington early Tuesday after a tipster who knew him called and provided his name, telephone number and Instagram profile, according to court documents.

Mr Brevard also posted photos on Instagram showing him wearing a black quilted jacket, similar to what was worn by the suspect in two of the shootings, prosecutors said.

Phone records allegedly confirmed Mr Brevard had been in Washington and New York City when the shootings occurred.

Assistant US attorney Sarah Santiago called the shootings “unprovoked” during Wednesday’s bail hearing.

Referring to the brutal murder of Holmes, she said: “This is a disturbing escalation of violent behavior, particularly against individuals who are already vulnerable because they live on the street.”

Prosecutors also presented the court with surveillance video taken minutes after the second shooting, which allegedly showed Mr Brevard sitting on a curb a block away playing music from his phone.

Magistrate Judge Tanya Jones Bosier cited that detail among multiple reasons to deny Mr Brevard bail, saying he is alleged to have played the music “as if there was some kind of amusement” after the shooting.

Mr Brevard’s lawyer, Ron Resetarits, had argued that his client should be released because of conflicting statements about the suspect’s description given by witnesses in New York and Washington. He also pointed to the fact that police have not recovered a gun in the case.

His client, he said, has lived in the Washington area for more than 20 years and had worked at a variety of businesses, including a wine store, a nightclub, a bagel shop and restaurants.

But prosecutors alleged Brevard had a lengthy criminal history in Washington, Virginia and Maryland on charges that included assaulting a police officer and assault with a deadly weapon. He also had a bench warrant and failed to appear for a trial in Maryland in 2021, prosecutors said.

In one prior case in 2019, Mr Brevard was deemed mentally incompetent after a court-ordered evaluation and was placed in a psychiatric hospital, the New York Times reported.

Family ‘crushed’ by claims against Brevard

Mr Brevard’s father, Gerald Brevard Jr, told the Daily Beast he was “crushed” by the news of his son’s arrest.

“This has all come as a surprise. I never thought he would be violent,” he said on Tuesday. “He was always mild-mannered.”

The 80-year-old said the pair had spoken on Monday and Mr Brevard “did not say anything out of the ordinary”.

“It was a normal conversation. But he was dealing with mental illness for the longest time. He has been in and out of mental hospitals.”

Mr Brevard’s cousin, Dearell Charlie Brevard, also told Daily Beast he was “totally shocked” by the allegations.

“I was not aware of his arrest. I last saw him three months ago at a relative’s house. I am just in awe. I would never expect this at all from Gerald,” the cousin said, noting that he wasn’t particularly close with Mr Brevard but did see him recently.

“I need to call his dad! Find out what’s going on. I can’t believe this,” he added.

Homeless urged to seek shelter

Prior to the suspect’s arrest, homeless people in New York City and Washington, DC were warned to take shelter.

New York Mayor Eric Adams and his DC counterpart Muriel Bowser told residents without a fixed address to find shelter on Sunday.

“As our law enforcement agencies work quickly with federal partners to locate the suspect, we are also calling on unsheltered residents to seek shelter,” the mayors said in a joint statement. “Again, it is heartbreaking and tragic to know that in addition to all the dangers that unsheltered residents face, we now have a cold-blooded killer on the loose.”

Mr Adams said police officers and homeless outreach teams would focus on finding unhoused people in the subways and other locations and would urge them to seek refuge at city-owned shelters.

“The case is a clear and horrific intentional act of taking the life of someone, it appears, because he was homeless,” Mr Adams said at a news conference late on Sunday. “Two individuals were shot while sleeping on the streets, not committing a crime but sleeping on the streets.”

New York mayor Eric Adams addressed shootings targeting the homeless on Saturday (NYC Mayor’s Office)

Charities criticize Adams for subway sleeping policy

Homeless charities have spoken out against Mr Adams for allegedly endangering homeless people with his “zero tolerance” approach towards sleeping in the New York City subway system, which was introduced only last month with the help of police enforcement.

In a statement, the Coalition for the Homeless said two shootings in New York City on Saturday were “an urgent reminder that many unsheltered New Yorkers choose to bed down in the subways because that is where they feel the most safe in the absence of housing and low-barrier shelters”.

The coalition also called on Mr Adams to open 500 beds promised by his office last month, “instead of subway sweeps” of the roughly 1,000 people believed to sleep in the subway.

Vocal NY, another non-profit, added on Sunday that “the answer is permanent, safe, humane housing and care” and that the shooting spree was “the direct result of a growing reckless and hateful anti-homeless culture that has been allowed to exist by politicians and the media”.

Mr Adams, who called for an end to homeless sleeping on the subway following a rise in crimes on the transport system in 2021, said last month that “the vast majority of the unhoused and the mentally ill are not dangerous” to subway riders.

Shootings reminiscent of previous attacks

The attacks were reminiscent of the beating deaths of four homeless men as they slept on the streets in New York’s Chinatown in the fall of 2019. Another homeless man, Randy Santos, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in those attacks.

A year ago, four people were stabbed in New York City, two fatally, by a man who randomly attacked homeless people in the subway system. That assailant, who was also homeless, is awaiting trial.

The Associated Press contributed to this report