Man accused in Plymouth road rage shooting was involved in 2 altercations, prosecutors say
PLYMOUTH - Flowers and condolences are all that remain at a popular restaurant area in Plymouth after a fatal shooting on Friday night. Bouquets were left outside of Speedwell Tavern. The restaurant is not far from a deadly road rage incident that claimed the life of a 41-year-old Brent Berkeley. On Monday, David Jerome was arraigned for Berkeley's murder.
"Multiple 911 calls reported a male had been shot multiple times," said prosecutor Jeremy Kusmin.
First altercation
The prosecution says Jerome took his 1-year-old son to a nearby brewery. After leaving, witnesses say he began heading the wrong way down a one-way road. It's there that he got into an altercation with a man in a white pickup. The two exchanged words outside of their vehicles.
"He said to that unknown male in the white pickup truck something about putting him in a body bag," Kusmin said in court.
Jerome is a licensed gun owner who legally owns eight guns. The prosecution says at the time one was on him, another was in the car, and both were loaded. They say after the first interaction, he removed the other gun from a safe, and continued to drive.
Shooting occurred after crash
"This defendant by his own admission was texting on his phone when he banged his vehicle into, or rear-ended, the victim's vehicle," Kusmin said.
After the crash, the prosecution says Berkeley came to confront him, and that Jerome warned that he had a gun.
"There were words exchanged, and some witnesses indicate that Brent Berkeley did make physical contact punching this defendant in the face," said Kusmin.
From there, Jerome allegedly opened fire shooting Berkeley multiple times in the chest and abdomen.
"It is alleged that this defendant got out his vehicle at that time, gun in hand, stood over the victim's body and fired multiple other rounds at that time," said Kusmin, adding that he told Berkeley not to move before heading back to his car and then returning to the victim. "He proceeded to say, 'Don't leave me! Don't give up,' something along those lines to the victim, and tried to perform CPR on the victim."
Jerome was found at the scene and was arrested by police. Police later searched his home and found several other guns, three of which had illegally loaded 30-round magazines. The limit in Massachusetts is 10 rounds. He is now being held without bail.
"This boils down to justification of self-defense"
"This boils down to justification of self-defense. There are four, it would appear, bullet holes in the hand of the deceased. I would suggest that Mr. Berkeley was reaching for the gun," countered Jerome's attorney Jack Atwood.
Atwood would later tell WBZ, "This isn't the planned thing. Your husband goes out, your husband doesn't come home. We have got two people just like that. One is dead, and the other guy is facing life in prison. Terrible."
Fundraising efforts for victim's family
Locally, fundraising efforts for Berkeley's family are underway. An online fundraiser has brought in more than $100,000. Meanwhile, Squinny's Pizza will be donating the money from every $5 second pizza purchase to the family.
WBZ spoke briefly with Berkeley's boss. The 41-year-old worked for a local landscaping company. His boss called him kind, courteous, and patient.
