Mayors urge homeless to get off streets as ‘cold-blooded killer’ stalks NYC, DC

[Sugar Cookie]

The mayors of New York City and Washington, DC, urged their cities’ homeless populations to seek shelter Sunday as a “cold-blooded killer” who had shot at least five vagrants remained on the loose.

A lone gunman is suspected of targeting sleeping homeless men in a series of shootings in DC and the Big Apple this month that has so far left two men dead and three others wounded.

New York Mayor Eric Adams and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said they were coordinating with federal authorities to investigate the crimes before he strikes again.


“The work to get this individual off our streets before he hurts or murders another individual is urgent,” the two said in a statement released just before midnight.

“As our law enforcement agencies work quickly with federal partners to locate the suspect, we are also calling on unsheltered residents to seek shelter. 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, but we are certain that we will get the suspect off the street and into police custody.”

Surveillance footage of the suspect who shot three homeless people in Soho on March 12.NYPD Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser Getty Images

The gunman is suspected in three attacks on homeless men in DC between March 3 and March 9, with one man dying from his wounds. The same man made his way north to Manhattan by Saturday, when cops said he shot two homeless men in separate incidents in Soho.

Another homeless man found was dead in a sleeping bag in Tribeca, but authorities haven’t confirmed his death was related to the serial shooter. No ballistics were found at the scene and there were no discernible entry marks through the man’s clothing, sources said.

The NYPD issued new patrol guidance amid the terrifying incidents, an internal memo showed. All officers were directed to “proactively engage with apparently homeless individuals,” conduct wellness checks and offer shelter services.

Cops should also tell vulnerable people about the brutal attacks and show them wanted posters of the suspected gunman, the guidance said.

Mayors urge homeless to get off streets as ‘cold-blooded killer’ stalks NYC, DC

A lone gunman is suspected of targeting sleeping homeless men in a series of shootings in Washington D.C. and New York City in March that has so far left two men dead and three others wounded.

nypost.com

 

[Sevens My Charm]

That’s hilarious and absolutely pathetic at the same time - this shows how much time the mayors spend on helping the homeless and addressing that population .. although some sleep outside by choice .. sometimes the street or your vehicle is safer than the shelters .. it’s a fucking joke .. it’s hard to get into a shelter .. they are always to capacity .. you’ll call fifteen and they tell you show up at 7am tomorrow and see if there’s spaces and it’s first come first service .. how are these homeless people supposed to get all over the city to these shelters .. grow fairy wings .. When I lived in Dallas I could not find one shelter to take me because I had my service dog .. they denied us entry because someone could be scared of dogs or allergic .. a trained service dog .. fuck them and their fake ass concern .. they’re desperately trying to patch those holes for re-election ..

 

[Totemic]

Homeless: The base definition means no where to live.

So how the fuck are they going to get "off the streets"?

 

[Satanica]

A man suspected of shooting five homeless men in Washington, D.C., and New York City was arrested early Tuesday following a multistate manhunt, the Metropolitan Police Department said. Two of the victims were killed, including a man found dead inside a burning tent in Northeast D.C.


An MPD official said a man was taken into custody near 2700 Pennsylvania Ave SE, in D.C. Law enforcement officials in the homicide branch are interviewing the suspect, police said. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' (ATF) Washington Field Division said they arrested the suspect.
[....]
The names of the dead were not immediately released.

MPD says it has contacted New York police about the arrest in the case.

An MPD official didn't immediately comment on what led authorities to bring the man into custody and said it was premature to talk about any possible charges. Police said more information is "forthcoming." The suspect's name was not immediately released.

D.C. police said the description of the suspect in custody matches several up-close photos shown during a news conference in the District Monday evening. Authorities wouldn't say when or where the photos were taken but said they were recent.
[....]
Contee said the two departments linked their homicide cases to one suspect after an MPD captain from Queens, New York, happened to be scrolling social media when he saw an image of the suspect in the killing there.

Ballistics evidence showed the same gun was used in both the D.C. and New York killings, Contee said. So far, ballistics have not tied the gun to any killings in other parts of the country, he said.

The first victim was found shot on March 3 at about 4 a.m. in the 1100 block of New York Avenue NE. The second man was found shot on March 8 shortly before 1:30 a.m. in the 1700 block of H Street NE. Both were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, D.C. police said.

On March 9, an officer was in the area of the 400 block of New York Avenue NE at about 2:55 a.m. when he saw a fire, police said. After DC Fire and EMS responders put out the blaze, authorities said they found the remains of a man.

“As a result of an autopsy, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was multiple stab and gunshot wounds,” D.C. police said.

Contee called the attacks "vicious" and "cowardly" acts, and said that the department was committed to bringing the gunman to justice.

Anyone with information on the attacks should call police at (202) 727-9099 or text a tip to 50411. The reward for information leading to an arrest has increased to $70,000 total between the D.C. and New York police departments and the ATF.
[....]

Suspect Arrested in Killings of Homeless Men in DC, NYC: Police

A man suspected of shooting five homeless men in Washington, D.C., and New York City was arrested early Tuesday following a multistate manhunt, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

www.nbcwashington.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

The serial shooter targeting homeless men in the Big Apple and Washington, DC is also homeless, family revealed Tuesday, as officials announced charges in three of the cases.


Gerald Brevard III, 30, was taken into custody early Tuesday in the capital and charged with first-degree murder in the March 9 shooting and stabbing death of 54-year-old homeless man Morgan Holmes, the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department Robert Contee told reporters Tuesday.


Brevard was also hit with two other charges — assault with the intent to kill and assault with a dangerous weapon — in connection with two other incidents targeting vagrants earlier in the month, Contee said.

At the time of the alleged crimes, Brevard was homeless himself and only intermittently staying at a great aunt’s house in Maryland, his cousin Dearell Brevard Sr. said.

“When he wanted to be off the street he came, you know, to seek solace right here at my mom’s house … she would take him in every time,” the cousin explained of Brevard’s great aunt, adding police had been at the residence all morning investigating the room he’d frequently stay in.

“He would come in and out, stay a couple of nights and continue to move on.”

Brevard’s father Gerald Brevard Jr., 54, told The Post by phone his son has long suffered from mental health issues but when he tried to have him committed, he wasn’t able to.

“My son never had a violent bone in him as far as I know. He had mental problems … He wasn’t himself. He’s talking in the third person and stuff like that,” the father said.

“The bigger picture is not that he has mental illness, but the number of times that he’s been within the judicial system and how the system has failed regarding the treatment of so many, including my son,” the dad continued.

“I just spoke with him. He called from jail … He said he’s sorry for putting the family through this and he was going to get it sorted out and to tell everybody he loved them.”

He said Brevard had struggled with drug abuse and some of his mental health concerns potentially sprang from a bad acid trip with his friends several years ago.

In December 2020, Brevard was charged with assault and battery after he allegedly attacked a 23-year-old woman in Fairfax County, Virginia, court records show. He was given a sentence of 12 months probation but in February, a warrant went out for his arrest after he failed to comply with mental health treatment, which was a term of his probation, records show.

He was also wanted in Maryland for 33 counts of alleged credit card theft, the records show.

Serial shooter who allegedly killed two homeless men is also homeless, family reveals

Gerald Brevard III, 30, was taken into custody early Tuesday in the capital and charged with first-degree murder in the March 9 shooting and stabbing death of 54-year-old homeless man Morgan Holmes…

nypost.com

 

[Satanica]

If he failed to comply with mental health treatment, there isn't any alternative except jail or permanent commitment to a psych facility. It is what it is.

 

[Totemic]

Well they caught him so now all those homeless people that took shelter can get back on the streets.

So the suspect didn't comply with MH treatment, yet was able to kill 5 people. Honestly, jail or Perm psych shouldn't be an option. Firing squad

 

[Donut Whisperer]

I read the father’s statement. He gave his condolences to the families, then went on to blame his son murdering helpless victims on his son not getting the help he needed when he committed other crimes. It galls me that this man is calling his son a good person in a statement where he says his giving condolences to his son’s murder victims.

From his statement:

“I can, however, speak on who my son is. He is a good person and like many across the world, he suffers from mental illness. The bigger picture is not that he has mental illness, but the number of times that he's been within the judicial system and how the system has failed regarding the treatment of so many, including my son. I don't know what the evidence is, and as I mentioned earlier, I cannot speak to the details of the case. I can only speak to the issue of the failure of the judicial system identifying that my son suffers from mental illness but not treating it."


Personal responsibility doesn’t seem like a priority.

Suspect in homeless shootings in NYC, Washington DC held without bail

Gerald Bravard, accused of shooting homeless people in Washington, D.C., and suspected in similar incidents in New York City, was held without bail.

abc7ny.com

 

[Totemic]

It's always the systems fault.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

It is the system's fault violent mentally ill people need to be locked up for the good of society instead of worrying about the rights of that sick individual.

 

[BuffettGirl]

There is a part of me that understands the father of the killer here. My oldest brother is mentally ill and homeless, by his own choice and after repeated hospitalizations/interventions. He is living the life he wants to live and there isn't a damn thing my family can do about it. It does tend to lead to the family of the mentally ill person to take the position of, "Well, it's not his fault, he's not right", so I understand where he is. By the same token, we would NEVER blame anyone else, or "the system" for what my brother might one day do. That shit doesn't fly. It's K's problem, and K needs to figure the way out of it if he wants to be out of it. He made the call. We're respecting his call. Heartbreaking as it is... my brother's brain make me look like a dithering idiot, no matter what "they" say my IQ is! So, bottom line, no Pops, "the system" didn't fail your kid. Your kid made choices. Now it's time to face the music for those choices.