Gerald Brevard III identified as suspect in shootings of homeless men in New York City and Washington, D.C.

NEW YORK -- The gunman wanted for stalking and shooting five homeless men in New York City and Washington, D.C. was taken into custody early Tuesday morning in the nation's capital.

A senior law enforcement official identified the suspect as 30-year-old Gerald Brevard III. He was being questioned by a homicide division in D.C. with charges pending.

NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said the Washington D.C. shootings took place on March 3, 8 and 9 before the shootings in New York on the 12th. 

Essig said police recovered .22 caliber shell casings at the scene in New York. All of the shootings were linked together by the gun, Essig said. 

Essig said the suspect arrested in Washington faces charges there, but has not yet been charged with crimes in New York. Authorities are working on bringing charges in New York with the Manhattan DA's office, Essig said. 

As CBS2's John Dias reported, the reward posters hung up around SoHo can now come down after police say they caught the man they've been tracking. 

He's suspected of targeting five homeless men in less than two weeks in the two cities. Officials say all the shootings were linked to the same gun.

"They are humans, just like us. Maybe they're in a difficult place right now, who hasn't been?" SoHo resident Merta Dormisha told Dias. "I hope he gets what he deserves."

Rosaline Law said Brevard, her cousin, has always been very nice and quiet, but has struggled.

"He has suffered with mental issues for a long time," Law said.

That sentiment was echoed by his father, who told DeAngelis he has tried to get him help.

"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," he said.

Both did send condolences to the victims.

"Nobody deserves that," Law said.

Detectives say the man is responsible for two shootings in New York City and three more in the nation's capital. All of the victims were sleeping on the streets, and two of them were killed. 

Surveillance video from the weekend shows the moments the suspect fatally shot a man point blank in Lower Manhattan.

"As you watch, you're kind of taken aback and shocked that someone could commit such a jarring act against a defenseless person," Essig said.

"I saw the video, and it broke my heart," SoHo resident Emma Wahl said. "What was so sad about that is that guy was just minding his own business, just sleeping, just not doing anything. He's already in a bad position."

Mayor Eric Adams thanked the officers on Twitter, writing, "We promised that we'd bring this killer to justice. We kept that promise."

He made that vow Monday during a joint press conference with the NYPD, Metropolitan Police and ATF agents. On Tuesday morning, an ATF Washington Field Division found the suspect walking down the street in southeast Washington, D.C.

Surveillance video at a gas station shows ATF agents swarming and taking him into custody, CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis reported.

"At the time the officers or the agents were closing in on him he attempted to flee briefly, but they were quickly able to apprehend him," Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert J. Contee III said.

"We are committed to reducing violent crime in our communities through strategies driven by intelligence, technology, and proven science," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Charlie Patterson.

A D.C. police captain who was born and raised in New York is being credited with connecting the inter-city shootings. 

"He happened to be scrolling through his social media over the weekend, where he saw an image of the New York City suspect that was put out to the public," Contee told reporters. 

Investigators also issued a reward of up to $70,000 for information leading to an arrest, though it's unclear if that's how police tracked down the suspect. On Twitter, police thanked the community for their tips.

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