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A man accused of killing two homeless people and shooting three others allegedly said he was feeling ‘devilish’ and ‘godly’ in an Instagram post the day before he was arrested.
Gerald Brevard III, 30, was charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault with intent to kill on Tuesday.
He stands accused of a 10-day shooting spree targeting homeless people in Washington and New York that began on March 3 and left two dead, including one named man – Morgan Holmes, 54, – whom he is charged with murdering.
The day before his arrest a picture was posted to his Instagram account with the eerie caption: ‘Feeling Devilish, Feeling Godly,’ according to investigators.
He was found by police after a tipster who knew him for a long time called and gave his name, phone number and Instagram profile.
Gerald Brevard III, 30, was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday in Washington, D.C., for five shootings of homeless men in D.C. and New York
The moment that Brevard was arrested at gunpoint in Washington, D.C.,was caught on camera.
Prosecutors say Brevard has avoided prison for years despite being convicted of several serious crimes including armed robbery, sexual assault and stabbing, He was ruled psychotic and incompetent to stand trial in 2019
Brevard allegedly found his first victim underneath an overpass in northeast Washington on March 3. The victim said he woke up around 4.30am to the sound of a passing train and saw a man pointing a gun at him.
The man shot him twice in the lower back but the bullets only grazed the skin so he was able to escape to a friend’s house before calling the police.
Two shell casings stamped with the letter ‘C’ were found at the crime scene a week later and police saw a bald man walking in the area about an hour and a half before the shooting.
The unique shell case stamping helped cops to track down the suspected killer.
On March 8 Brevard is believed to have shot his second victim in the head, face, chest, thighs, buttocks and hand.
Washington police were called over gunfire reports at around 1.20am and found the second victim at a homeless campsite. The victim is still in hospital.
Security camera footage recorded the sound of a man screaming, ‘No, no, no’ and ‘please don’t shoot’ after the first shot was fired.
Video shows the suspect walking up to ahomeless man and kicking him several times before taking out his weapon
The suspect can be seen looking around to see if anyone was watching before carrying out the horrific act
Brevard was arrested after authorities in New York and the District of Columbia released these photographs of the suspect
In the last month, at least five homeless men wereshot – two of them fatally – and one has been found dead in what police fear may be a string of attacks by the same person
Footage from minutes later shows the suspect sitting on the street and playing music from his phone.
The next morning just before 3am police found the body of a homeless man, Morgan Holmes, 54, on a burned out mattress after a fire broke out at another homeless camp.
Mr Holmes had been stabbed several times and shot to death. Two shell casings and two folding knives were found the next day.
More surveillance footage shows the suspect walking around the area where Mr Holmes was found and pumping gasoline into a cup.
Police believe Brevard then travelled to New York and shot two homeless men sleeping on the streets of Lower Manhattan on March 12, leaving one dead.
Brevard, standing in black T-shirt in a family snap. His grandfather Gerald Brevard Sr. is seated center.
The NYPD worked alongside police in Washington DC and the ATF, acknowledging that similar shootings have occurred in both cities
Brevard has not been charged for these crimes while New York cops continue to gather evidence.
Prosecutors allege Brevard escalated his violence as he stalked and shot homeless people asleep on the streets of the two cities over a 10-day period.
In court Wednesday, Magistrate Judge Tanya Jones Bosier pointed to that allegation as one of multiple reasons to hold Brevard without bail, saying he is alleged to have played the music ‘as if there was some kind of amusement’ after the shooting.
According to court documents, the fatal shooting and the first incident occurred within one-half mile of each other and less than two miles from the second wounding.
‘This is a disturbing escalation of violent behavior, particularly against individuals who are already vulnerable because they live on the street,’ assistant U.S. attorney Sarah Santiago said.
Brevard, she said, carried out ‘unprovoked attacks of people living on the streets.’
The shoe of one of the homeless victims to have been killed is seen on the sidewalk inLower Manhattan
New York Mayor Eric Adams listens as Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a news conference
Less than an hour after Holmes’ body was discovered, the suspect walked into Washington’s Union Station and stayed inside the station until he hopped aboard a train around 6.15am, court papers say.
Police believe Brevard then traveled north to New York City. Surveillance video showed a man who investigators believe is Brevard at Penn Station in Manhattan around 3.30am on March 12.
An hour later, a 38-year-old man sleeping on the street in Manhattan not far from the entrance to the Holland Tunnel was shot in his right arm as he slept.
The victim screamed, and the gunman fled, police said. About 90 minutes later, the gunman fatally shot another man in SoHo, police said. The man’s body was found in his sleeping bag just before 5pm Saturday. He had been shot in the head and neck, said Julie Bolcer, a spokesperson for the New York City medical examiner’s office.
Police identified Brevard after a tipster who knew him called and provided his name, telephone number and Instagram profile. 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.
Police also obtained phone records showing Brevard has been in Washington and New York City when the shootings occurred. Ballistics evidence has connected the New York and Washington cases, prosecutors said.
He was arrested by federal agents early Tuesday morning in Washington.
Brevard’s lawyer, Ron Resetarits, argued in court 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.
Source: Daily Mail
