The suspect’s father, Gerald Brevard Jr., told The Daily Beast on Tuesday he was “crushed” to hear the news about his son’s arrest. He said they spoke on Monday, and Brevard “did not say anything out of the ordinary.”
arrested a man with a history of mental illness who they suspect shot several homeless men in D.C. and New York
Brevard is now facing several charges, including first-degree murder for the death of 54-year-old Morgan Holmes—whose identity was first released Tuesday afternoon—and assault with intent to kill. D.C. Chief Robert Contee noted in an afternoon press conference that the suspect had not revealed a motive, and that police had not obtained the firearm they believe was used in the shootings.
NYPD Chief James Essig said Tuesday that so far, the suspect arrested in D.C. was only charged with the shootings in the nation’s capital. But he stressed that police believe he is the same individual who shot two homeless men—one of them fatally—in New York City. So far, Essig said, Brevard was officially a “strong person of interest” in the local shootings, as police continued to work with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
“This has all come as a surprise. I never thought he would be violent,” Brevard Jr. added. “He was always mild-mannered.” In a separate statement issued to reporters, Brevard Jr. also stressed that despite many encounters with the justice system, his son’s mental illness was never really addressed—which he said showed “how the system has failed regarding the treatment of so many.”