Gerald Brevard III is the suspected serial shooter accused of killing two homeless men and wounding three others in Washington D.C. and New York City, police say. Brevard is a 30-year-old Washington resident, according to NBC News. Police have not formally identified Brevard as the suspect. NBC News and The Daily Beast identified him, citing law enforcement sources.
The suspect in the spree shootings targeting homeless men was arrested on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, the D.C. Metropolitan Police and the NYPD said on Twitter. D.C. Police tweeted, “ARRESTED: Early this AM, law enforcement arrested the suspect in Washington, DC. He is currently being interviewed at our Homicide Branch. Additional information will be forthcoming. Thanks to the community for all your tips.” According to The Daily Beast, Brevard was identified through tips and police staked him out before taking him into custody.
The NYPD added, “The suspect in 5 shooting incidents, including 2 homicides, in NY and Washington DC has been apprehended thanks to our law enforcement partners in @DCPoliceDept, @ATFWashington, and @FBIWFO. The investigation into these incidents remains active and ongoing.” The shootings occurred between March 3 and March 12. Two men were shot in New York City, one fatally, and three were shot in Washington D.C., one fatally, the two city police departments said in a joint statement issued along with federal authorities. The victims’ names haven’t been released.
Here’s what you need to know about Gerald Brevard and the shootings:
1. The Serial Shooting Suspect Is Accused of Setting a Tent on Fire & Killing a Man in D.C. & Was Caught on Video Shooting a Sleeping Man on the Street in New York City
According to the press release from police, the first victim was shot on March 3, 2022, about 4 a.m. on New York Avenue, Northeast in Washington D.C. Officers responded to a report of shots fired and found a man suffering from non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. About an hour later, police said they responded to the 1700 block of H Street, Northeast and found a second victim suffering from non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. On March 9, about 3 a.m., police found a man who had been shot and stabbed in a tent that was set on fire on New York Avenue, Northeast in D.C., according to the press release.
On March 12, a man sleeping on King Street near Varick Street in New York City was shot about 4:30 a.m., police said. He was hit in the arm. According to The New York Daily News, the victim was able to scare the shooter off by yelling at him and pretending to call 911. The fatal shooting is believed to have happened about 6 a.m., police said. The victim, who was shot in the head and neck, was not found dead until about 5 p.m., according to police.
Police in the two cities, along with federal investigators from the FBI and ATF, set up a joint task force to track down the suspect after the March 12 shootings. Surveillance video caught the fatal March 12 shooting in New York City. The video showed a man in a ski mask and wearing blue gloves kicking a sleeping man, pulling out a gun and shooting him before walking away. Police also released other surveillance images showing the suspect.
2. Brevard Was Arrested in Virginia in 2020 After He Was Accused of Assaulting a Woman at a Hotel & Suspected in a String of Crimes in the Herndon Area, Police Said
Gerald Brevard III was arrested in December 2020 in Virginia as a suspect in several crimes in the Herndon area that took place between November 27 and December 3 of that year, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a press release. According to police, Brevard was caught after he was suspected of trying to break into a Herndon home. He was found by police hiding in a nearby apartment complex, the release said. Investigators said Brevard matched the description of a suspect wanted in a series of incidents where women were lured and assaulted or robbed.
According to police, Brevard was suspected of assaulting a woman in a hotel on Sunrise Valley Drive on November 27 in Herndon. During that 7:30 a.m. incident, police said a woman was walking in a hotel hallway when, “a man grabbed her from behind. The man covered her mouth, pushed her against a wall and assaulted her. She was able to yell for help and the man ran away. The victim suffered minor injuries.”
Police said a woman in an apartment complex reported a man matching the description of the hotel attacker approached her with a gun on December 3 and robbed her before running away. Also on December 3, police said a woman walking on the street about 11:45 p.m. in Herndon was attacked. “A man hit her with an object, moved her away from the sidewalk and sexually assaulted her. Personal property was taken before the man walked away from the area. The woman was taken to the hospital for injuries that were not life threatening,” police said.
Brevard was initially held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, according to the press release. Details of the outcome of the case against him were not immediately available. According to the New York Post, Brevard was put on supervised probation.
3. Brevard’s Father Told The Daily Beast His Son Has Been ‘Dealing With Mental Illness for the Longest Time’ & Has ‘Been In & Out of Mental Hospitals’
NYPDPolice released this image of the suspect now identified as Gerald Brevard.
Brevard’s father, Gerald Brevard Jr., told The Daily Beast after his son’s arrest that he spoke to him on Monday, hours before he was taken into custody. He said, “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. … This has all come as a surprise. I never thought he would be violent. He was always mild-mannered.”
According to The Daily Beast, Brevard III posted on Instagram not long before he was arrested. He posted a photo about 5 p.m. on Monday with the caption, “Feeling Devilish Feeling Godly.” The Daily Beast reported that Brevard had also recently posted a photo tagged at a Manhattan event space. The New York Times reported, “In 2019, Mr. Brevard was found mentally incompetent after a court-ordered examination and was temporarily committed to Saint Elizabeths Hospital, a psychiatric hospital operated by the city’s Department of Behavioral Health.”
FIRST ON 4: A look at surveillance video showing the take down of the suspect wanted in connection to the shooting of five men living in homelessness in New York & DC. Our NYC NBC station cites a source familiar with the investigation who identifies him as Gerald Brevard
Public records show that Brevard has lived in Washington D.C. since 2016. He previously lived in Waldorf, Maryland, from 2012 to 2017, and has also lived in Colora, Maryland, and Las Vegas, where his father lives. It was not immediately clear where Brevard was being held in custody and when his first court appearance would be.
4. Brevard Has Multiple Arrests & Convictions in Maryland, Records Show
MORE PHOTOS of the wanted suspect. Tipsters are eligible for a reward of up to $55,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction.
In addition to the 2020 arrest in Virginia, Brevard also has been arrested several times in Maryland, according to online court records. In 2010, Brevard was charged with malicious destruction of property, a misdemeanor, in Cecil County, Maryland, according to court records. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation.
In 2011, Brevard was arrested again in Cecil County and was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. The case was later dropped. Brevard was arrested in Ocean City, Maryland, in 2012, court records show,
on a misdemeanor theft charge. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 73 days in jail with credit for time served. In 2013, he was convicted in Charles County, Maryland, of misdemeanor robbery. He was sentenced to 107 days in jail and five years of probation.
Also in 2013, Brevard was arrested in Charles County on charges of first-degree assault, using a firearm during a violent crime, armed robbery, robbery, using a dangerous weapon, second-degree assault and attempted theft. Details of the outcome of that case were not immediately available. In 2019, he was charged in Montgomery County, Maryland, with theft and failure to appear in court. In 2020, he was arrested in Cecil County on several charges, including theft, rogue and vagabond, credit card theft and using another person’s credit card. He was released on bond in November 2020, but a warrant was issued for his arrest in February 2021 after he failed to appear in court.
5. New York City Mayor Eric Adams Said After Brevard’s Arrest: ‘We Promised That We’d Bring This Killer to Justice. We Kept That Promise … Keeping Our Streets Safe Means Bringing Our Country Back’
After Brevard’s arrest, New York City Mayor Eric Adams tweeted, “We promised that we’d bring this killer to justice. We kept that promise. Thank you to all of our partners in law enforcement for their good work. Public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity. Keeping our streets safe means bringing our country back.”
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser added in a statement, “We want to thank everyone in Washington, DC, New York City, and elsewhere who sent in tips about this suspect. I also want to thank Mayor Adams and his team in New York, our team at MPD, as well as our federal partners at the ATF for their collaboration and partnership. We said that the work to remove this man from our streets was urgent and our communities responded. We know that this experience has been especially scary for our residents experiencing homelessness. Our work continues to end homelessness and ensure all residents have access to safe and affordable housing. Our work also continues to get guns off our streets, to address the proliferation of firearms, and to prevent violence while also working swiftly to hold people accountable when they terrorize and bring harm to our communities.”
Adams said in a statement, “Yesterday, I stood with Commissioner Sewell, Mayor Bowser, Chief Contee, and the ATF to show the coordinated effort between multiple cities and the federal government to bring a cold-blooded killer to justice, and, today, we’re proud to announce that that suspect is in custody. This man targeted those experiencing homelessness with no regard for life, but this criminal is now off the streets. Gun violence against anyone, let alone our most vulnerable populations, is sick, but thanks to the coordination between different levels of law enforcement and the public’s help, those experiencing homelessness can breathe a sigh of relief today. The recent rise in gun violence remains a concern for us all, and we will do everything in our power to keep our citizens safe because public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity.”
D.C. Metro Police Chief Robert Contee said, “I want to personally thank our community members who submitted tips and information in this case, and thank our law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts in bringing this individual to justice. It is essential for us to work together as a community to close cases, and show the world that there is no place for those who commit violence in our communities.” And NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell added, “Excellent detective work, teamwork with our partners from the Metropolitan Police in DC at the ATF, and the FBI culminated in the arrest of the suspect in five shootings, including two murders of homeless men in New York City and Washington, DC. People experiencing homelessness have many worries to cope with every day. Tonight, they will have one less.”