Germarcus David: Father Charged in Deaths of 4 Children, Grandmother

Germarcus David is the Lancaster, California, father who was arrested in the shooting deaths of his four children and their grandmother, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. David, 29, is jailed as a suspect in the murder investigation conducted by LA homicide detectives.

According to ABC 7 News, the five victims are 51-year-old Erika England, 11-year-old Namyiah, 7-year-old Germarcus Jr., 2-year-old Kayden and 1-year-old Noah.

In court on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, David was formally charged with “five counts of murder and three counts of assault on a child causing death”, the outlet reported.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. David Was a Licensed Security Guard With an Expired Gun Permit; The Mother of the Children Found The Victims Dead in the Home & Neighbors Heard Her Screaming

Family members told KTLA the mother of the children and daughter of the adult victim found the victims dead in the Lancaster home. Neighbor Reginald Beltran told the news outlet she saw the mother soon after the shooting.

“We can hear her screaming over the phone,” Beltran told KTLA. “The only thing that was very clear… she was screaming ‘My babies are dead, my babies are dead.'”

She called 911 when she arrived at the home and found the bodies, ABC 7 News reported.

The news outlet described the area as a suburban neighborhood. The Los Angeles Times reported that “a single-story home on a quiet street in Lancaster became a scene of tragedy.”

A California state database shows that Germarcus Lamar David of Lancaster was licensed as a security guard. He had been licensed to carry an exposed firearm, but the license had been canceled, the database shows.

Here is the licensing information:

Bureau of Security and Investigative ServicesGermarcus David’s firearms and other security licensing information.

The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services database shows that David’s security guard license was active, along with a baton permit. He had obtained the exposed firearm permit through a business and professional license. David had previously qualified for the permit using a 9-mm handgun, a .44-caliber handgun and a .38-caliber revolver. The most recent firearm permit expired August 31, 2020, the database shows.

Investigators have not said what type of gun was used in the murders.

2. David Wrote a Post to His Daughter on Facebook for National Daughter’s Day, Writing ‘It’s Us Forever Princess’

David wrote a post to his daughter on National Daughter’s Day September 26, 2021, about 14 months before investigators allege he killed the girl, her three younger brothers, and her grandmother.

“I LOVE everything about you!!” he wrote. “From your lil personality to your small cute voice, to the way you give me all the love & your strength at only 10. Namiyah you are organic in every way. You’re loving, smart, beautiful, and so much more. God knew what he was doing when he place you in my life. Life not perfect and im not by any means. I do know this… I’m blessed & I’m thankful that God chosen me to be your Father!! It’s us forever princess.”

His Facebook page was filled with religious themes, including messages of encouragement and posts about attacks from the devil. His cover photo is a picture of Jesus on the cross.

“The devil wouldn’t be attacking you so hard if there wasn’t something valuable inside of you,” he wrote in a post November 14, 2021. “Thieves don’t break into empty houses.”

On October 28, 2021, he wrote a lengthy post on his “ultimate life goal” and his “legacy.” He said he wants to leave things “better than I found them,” calling this “the most important pursuit in the world.” He said he wanted to give back to his community, family and others. David wrote that he wanted to spread love unconditionally and “uplift the next generation.”

“THAT is what I want my children to grow up seeing,” he wrote.

The full post said:

My ultimate life goal is to leave people, places, things, circumstances and the world better than I found them. To me, that is the most important pursuit in this world.

I don’t want to be remembered for my net worth, how many cars I had, or the amount of messy controversy I could cause. I want to be remembered for the way I actively participated in being a good steward of the life I’ve been blessed with by sharing those blessings with others. I want to be the kind of human who seeks to gain as much as possible so that I can give more back to my community, my family, and to those less fortunate than me.

Money, fame, and fortune do not follow me when I transition from this world therefore they will never be more important than my impact on the hearts and minds of those around me, although I have zero doubt that money, fame, and fortune will be something I achieve.

My words, deeds, the love I spread unconditionally, and my pursuit of being a good human above, and beyond, everything will echo in this world long after I leave it through the deeds of those who were affected by me.

The platform I am gaining will be large enough for others to stand on. I will be the giant whose shoulders are strong enough to help uplift the next generation of conscious warriors both like me and unlike me. The voice I have will serve the purpose of amplifying other voices and speaking truths, especially the hard ones . The love I give will overflow from one heart to the next as a gift that keeps giving. I will be one of the reasons that others believe in the true goodness of this world. God knows we have enough reasons not to believe in it which makes this mission much more vital.

THAT is what I want my legacy to be. THAT is what I want my children to grow up seeing. THAT is what inspires me to do what I do; to fight for what I want; to speak up the way I do; to love through all the pain I’ve experienced in my life.

I know I will not change this world alone but I can do my part, stay blessed

David had little public information listed about himself on his Facebook page. Several people who had been listed on his page as relatives were removed in the day after the story became public. One Facebook user questioned a man who had been listed as David’s brother, asking whether he had anything to say about the shooting. That comment was later deleted.

The shooting deaths shocked the neighborhood, ABC 7 News reported. A woman who lives nearby described the victims as “a beautiful family.”

“This is not something that you would think would happen right in your neighborhood. They’re a beautiful family,” she told ABC 7 News. “This is sad. It’s insane.”

Waki Jones told the Los Angles Times he was a childcare provider for the the family for several years. He said he would drop off the older children at elementary school and take the younger ones to daycare. He told the Times he cared for the children as if they were his own. He learned they’d died when he came to pick them up Monday morning.

“Someone told me or I asked which house where the shooting was, and then I don’t remember anything after that,” Jones told the Times by phone. “They were just good kids.”

The children called him “Coach,” he said.

“[Namyiah] was a sweet girl, and every morning, the mom would tell her, ‘Say good morning to coach,'” Jones told the Times.

He said Namyiah looked after her brother and kept him safe in school.

“She was always protecting her brother, making sure he was safe at school,” Jones told the newspaper. “It’s just unbelievable. I can’t believe they’re gone.”

3. ‘You Wouldn’t Think Much of Him,’ Said a Man Visiting the Neighborhood

A man who is staying in the neighborhood told the Los Angeles Times he would sometimes see a man sitting on the front porch of the house where the deadly shooting occurred. Marco Estrada, 49, who is staying with his niece five houses away, told the Times he would see the man while he was walking his dog in the neighborhood.

“He seemed nice, quiet. You wouldn’t think much of him,” Estrada told the newspaper.

Waki Jones, who cared for the children for years, told the Times he did not know David personally. He said the father would sometimes care for the children and that he had recently promised to take the children fishing. The plans fell through, he said. He told the newspaper he was in shock over the shooting.

“To do this to the kids, it’s cowardly. It’s just unbelievable,” he told the newspaper.

Sheriff’s Lieutenant Brandon Dean told ABC 7 News he had no knowledge of previous incidents of domestic violence at the home.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement provided to Heavy that his office is providing support and services to the surviving family members.

“No family should endure this type of tragedy, especially when the alleged perpetrator was responsible for their protection,” Gascón said. “Our office has reached out to the family to ensure they have all the services and support they need during this difficult time.”

4. David Turned Himself in at the Lancaster Station of the LA County Sheriff’s Office Within an Hour of the Shooting

David was detained “when he arrived at the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station lobby,” LASD said. He was interviewed and arrested, the sheriff’s department said. ABC 7 News reported David turned himself in to authorities within an hour of the shooting.

Jail information indicates David was booked into the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles at 1:45 p.m. Monday, November 29, 2021.

Here is his booking information:

LASDGermarcus David’s booking information.

A motive has not yet been determined in the shooting.

5. All 5 Victims Were Found Dead at the Scene With Gunshot Wounds to Their Upper Torsos

LASD said they were called to the 3500 block of Garnet Lane in Lancaster at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, November 28, 2021, after receiving a “rescue responding” call.

“When deputies arrived they found a female Black adult suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper torso. The deputies also located a female juvenile and three male juveniles all under the age of 12 years old suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper torso. All five victims were pronounced dead at the scene by responding paramedics,” the LASD said.

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