The Washington, DC vagrant accused of attacking five vulnerable homeless men in the nation’s capital and New York City was ordered held behind bars Wednesday — as it was revealed he played music after one of the shootings in a sick form of “amusement.”
Gerald Brevard III, 30, wore a white Tyvek suit during his first appearance in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges he shot, stabbed and killed 54-year-old homeless man Morgan Holmes and wounded two others in separate shootings earlier this month.
Brevard did not speak during the brief proceeding, save for saying his name out loud as he entered the courtroom.
New court documents, meanwhile, outlined harrowing new details of his alleged shooting spree in DC.
In the alleged first incident on March 3 around 3:30 a.m., Brevard allegedly shot a homeless man in the lower back and shoulder while he was sleeping under an overpass near New York Avenue, court records state.
Five days later, Brevard allegedly went to a homeless encampment about a mile-and-a-half away from the first incident and shot a second homeless man around 1:30 a.m. while he was sitting in a chair, records show.
Police take Gerald Brevard III into custody in Washington, DC. Fox 5 DC“No, no, no … please don’t shoot!” a man is heard saying on surveillance footage taken near the scene, records say.
A witness told police the victim ran from Brevard, who allegedly chased after him and shot him multiple times in the head, face, chest, thigh, buttocks and hand – leaving him hospitalized and unable to be interviewed, cops said.
“Minutes” after the incident, Brevard was allegedly seen sitting on a curb about a block away from the shooting listening to music so loudly, it was audible in surveillance footage, court documents say.
“After the interaction with the second complainant, it appears that the suspect was holding some sort of a device and played music as if there was some amusement to what had just happened,” Magistrate Judge Tanya Jones Bosier said during the appearance.
“Looking at the totality of what the court has before it, I cannot fashion any condition that will ensure he’ll return to court and ensure the safety of the community so I’m going to grant the hold.”
The following day around 2:30 a.m., Brevard was allegedly seen pouring gasoline into a cup at a gas station on Florida Avenue before heading to a campsite where Holmes was sleeping in a tent.
Cops say Brevard stabbed and shot Holmes multiple times before setting him and his tent on fire, leaving the campsite so charred, a mattress that’d been inside was reduced to its springs, records say.
“This is a disturbing escalation of violent behavior particularly aimed at individuals in the community who are vulnerable because they live on the street and put in an even more vulnerable position by the fact that these attacks occured at night from what is presumably at lounge or at rest,” prosecutors argued as they asked the judge to hold Brevard behind bars.
“These are unprovoked attacks on individuals living on the street. Multiple shots fired in each instance and ultimately culminating in the death of someone in our jurisdiction and in additional injuries in a separate jurisdiction as well, all within a very short period of time.”
Days after Brevard allegedly killed Holmes, he traveled to the Big Apple and shot two other homeless men in Soho within the span of about two hours — killing one of them at point-blank range, police said.
During a news conference in New York Tuesday, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said there’s not yet “enough evidence” to charge Brevard in those incidents but the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is working on building a case.
Brevard’s family revealed that the alleged killer is also homeless. MPDC/AFP via Getty Images“We’re gathering all our records. This is two days old. We’re very confident we’ll get there,” Essig said.
A public defender for Brevard, whose relatives say is homeless himself and suffering from mental health issues, asked for him to be released on his own recognizance, claiming the evidence in the case didn’t add up.
The attorney noted Brevard’s strong ties to the Washington, DC area and said he has some college coursework under his belt, along with some “solid work history” at a number of eateries, including Applebee’s, Einstein Bagels, City Winery and Harlot Lounge.
The judge ultimately sided with the prosecution and ordered Brevard back behind bars until a status hearing next month.
