Suspect arrested in shootings of five homeless men in NYC and D.C.

An intense manhunt ended early Tuesday when federal agents in Washington, D.C. arrested a suspect in the shootings of at least five homeless men there and in Manhattan. Two of the victims were killed.

D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Robert J. Contee III confirmed Tuesday that the suspect is 30-year-old Gerald Brevard, a resident of D.C. Brevard has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to kill and first degree murder. Additional charges are expected for the incidents in New York when police have enough evidence to charge him. The firearm police believe was used in all of the shootings has not been recovered. 

According to an affidavit released by police on Wednesday, a person, identified as "Witness 3," reached out to police through a tip line and said they personally knew Brevard — adding that Brevard had a child with a woman they knew — and gave police Brevard's date of birth, phone number and Instagram handle.  

Using that information, police were able to place Brevard in Washington D.C. Early Tuesday morning, officers spotted him walking on a D.C. street. He attempted to flee before officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division apprehended him in a gas station around 2:30 a.m. 

A Magistrate Judge ruled Wednesday that Brevard will be kept in custody pending the rest of his court proceedings. 

The shootings happened in a nine-day span, and police said they were all linked to the same gun. The suspect has not offered a motive and police are not certain what connection there may be between homelessness and Brevard, but they believe the acts were random. 

New York and D.C. officials were offering a $70,000 reward for information leading to the suspect. Contee said police "fully expect" to pay out the reward, as information that was submitted directly led to Brevard's arrest. 

Officials also said that in 2019, Brevard was placed into inpatient care at Saint Elizabeth's hospital for a competency assessment, which is commonly done to determine whether an individual can participate fully in their defense in the court system. Brevard was found to be competent and then placed back in jail, according to D.C Department of Behavioral Health Director Barbara Bazron. 

"We are going to work hard to make sure that there's justice for these victims," D.C Mayor Muriel Bowser said. 

NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell thanked detectives who worked tirelessly on the investigation as well as members of the public who sent tips that led police to the suspect's name and contacts. She called the arrest a "perfect example" of the public and private sector working together. 

"Public safety is a shared responsibility," Sewell said. "We all have a part to play and in these cases everyone performed them perfectly." 

NYPD Chief Ken Corey told reporters that the suspect had only been arrested for crimes committed in D.C., but that the New York investigation is still ongoing. Corey added that the suspect was not known in New York but has had multiple contacts with police in various states. 

Police suspect he used public transportation like trains or buses to move between D.C and New York and are asking New Yorkers with any additional information to contact their tip line: 1-800-577-TIPS.

Officials say he shot three sleeping men in Washington, one fatally. The latest victim, in Manhattan, was asleep when he was shot to death Saturday, authorities said. New York Mayor Eric Adams said another victim woke up, apparently startling the gunman who then shot him, but not fatally.

CBS New York reports that surveillance video from the most recent shooting shows the suspect looking around and walking past the victim before turning around and kicking him several times, then pulling out a gun and firing.

The deadly attack was tied to another shooting earlier in the day. That victim was recovering in a hospital.

In a joint statement before the arrest, Adams and Bowser said, "As our law enforcement agencies work quickly with federal partners to locate the suspect, we are also calling on unsheltered residents to seek shelter."

In Washington Monday, police passed out fliers with the suspect's photo to homeless people, CBS New York reported. NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said police were doing similar outreach there.

"We launched a citywide effort to reach out to the homeless population and urge them with three goals — to warn them and seek shelter, to ask them if they had encountered this subject from the pictures we showed them, and to ensure there were no undiscovered victims," Sewell said.