How the police hunted down Gerald Brevard III, the serial killer accused of murdering the homeless in DC and NYC

Law enforcement has identified a suspect accused of shooting dead five homeless men in Washington, DC and New York City over the past two weeks — killing two people — after one tip called the police with the suspect’s phone number and Instagram handle, then police looked at cell phone location data to place him at the scene of additional shootings, according to an affidavit Probable cause was filed Tuesday in DC Superior Court.

Gerald Brevard III, 30, was arrested by DC police on Tuesday, where three of the five attacks took place. Brevard, whose father told The Daily Beast his son has “dealed with mental illness for the longest time”, has been charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill and assault. with dangerous weapons.

Brevard’s arrest capped a furious multi-country manhunt with a $70,000 reward for his capture. Police believe Brevard was also behind two shootings of homeless men in New York City last weekend in which one died, but have not charged him. Brevard was unarmed when he was arrested, and investigators have yet to recover a weapon. However, ballistics evidence is linked to shootings in DC and New York City, according to authorities.

“We believe it was random,” DC Sheriff Robert J. Contee III said at a news conference Tuesday. “I didn’t know that he knew these people.”

The first attack occurred around 4:30 a.m. on March 3, according to the affidavit. Subject, who was shot multiple times in the lower back and right shoulder, bandaged the wound and waited approximately 90 minutes before calling police. After officers arrived, the unidentified victim was taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries and released.

According to initial police reports, the victim told police that the suspect, whom he described as a Black male in his 30s or 40s, was wearing a black suit and armed with a handgun. black, ran away after shooting him.

Investigators later found two .22-caliber cartridge cases at the scene, both stamped with the letter “C” according to the affidavit.

On March 8, just before 1:30 a.m., DC Metro police responded to a report of shots being fired near a homeless camp about a mile and a half from the March 3 shootings. .

When they got there, officers “found the victim…next to a construction site on the southeast corner of 17th and H Streets with multiple gunshot wounds,” the affidavit said, adding that the target “had wounds” bullet wounds to the head, face, chest, thighs, buttocks and hands. “His injuries were so severe that detectives were unable to interview him and the unnamed man remained hospitalized.

Once again, investigators found several .22-sized cartridge cases marked with the letter “C” at the scene. In footage from nearby security cameras, the victim “can be heard shouting “no, no, no” and “please don’t shoot” after hearing a single gunshot, according to the affidavit. Minutes later, the footage shows Brevard sitting on the curb, playing music on his cell phone, the document reveals.

At 2:54 a.m. the next day, a DC police officer on patrol spotted the fire burning on New York Avenue in the northeast of the city, less than half a mile from the March 3 shooting. and less than two miles away. one day 8/3.

After firefighters extinguished the blaze, first responders discovered the remains of a 54-year-old homeless man, Morgan Holmes. He was stabbed multiple times and shot at least twice, and was pronounced dead at 3:27 a.m

As in the first two incidents, police found two .22-caliber cartridge cases marked with the letter “C” at the scene. Security video from the area on both days shows a matching Black male with the same appearance description and wearing the same clothing as seen in the original footage, according to the affidavit.

In the days that followed, homeless people in New York City began being shot, seemingly at random.

At approximately 4:36 a.m. on March 12, a homeless man sleeping on the streets of midtown Manhattan was attacked by a man described by witnesses as a black man and a black man. white or Hispanic man, dressed in black and wearing a black mask. NYPD investigators found a .22-sized cartridge case, again stamped “C” on the scene, the affidavit states.

That afternoon, police were called to another location in Lower Manhattan, where they found the body of a second unidentified homeless man.

“Officers identified and recovered five 22.22 caliber cartridge cases,” the affidavit said. “Each case has a ‘C’ on the top stamp.”

Witnesses gave officers the same description of the suspect as in previous incidents.

“The distance between the two shootings in New York, NY was less than a mile,” the affidavit states.

The authorities distributed Brevard’s photographs, and the people in the lead got involved.

One tip “is specifically named… Brevard as depicted in publicly available images,” the affidavit read. “The tip… said [they] personally knew… Brevard and that he had a child with a woman [the tipster] known,” and provided police with Brevard’s date of birth, phone number, and Instagram handle.

“In a follow-up interview with [the tipster]The detectives learned that [the tipster] have known Brevard for several years and know him well. [The tipster] stated [they] observed a photograph on a news program and realized it depicted… Brevard. ”

After detectives showed the tip-off a still video of Brevard at DC’s Union Station, the hawker “immediately responded by saying, ‘It was him,'” according to the affidavit.

“Is that Gerald?” asked the investigator, wanting to be sure.

“Yes,” replied the salesman.

Police took a look at Brevard’s Instagram page, where they discovered a post showing him in an outfit that “matched” the one he was wearing on surveillance video recorded at the crime scene. On March 14, Brevard “posted a photo of himself with , “Feels the Devil Feels God,” the affidavit reads. “Detectives were able to determine that the photo was taken in Washington, DC”

Investigators subpoenaed Instagram to make sure they had Brevard’s correct phone number, then subpoenaed his mobile carrier to obtain location data for Brevard’s phone.

“[T]exponential data indicates that the device is in use… Brevard’s number appeared to be in Washington, DC, late in the evening of March 11, in New York City on the morning of March 12, and back in Washington, DC, by the morning of March 12. March 13,” the affidavit states. “New York City communications placed… Brevard equipment in the vicinity of two locations around the time of each crime.”

At about 2:30 a.m. on March 15, Brevard was arrested by federal agents at a gas station in DC. He tried to run away but didn’t get far, according to the affidavit.

On Wednesday, Brevard’s attorney argued in court that witnesses gave conflicting descriptions of his client and noted that police had not recovered the gun Brevard is believed to have used.

In response, prosecutors pointed to Brevard’s criminal history, which included assaulting a police officer.

Brevard was placed in a DC prison, where he was held without bail.