(Bloomberg) -- A 30-year-old Washington, D.C., man with a history of assault arrests was charged with murder in connection with a string of shootings of homeless men in the nation's capital and New York.
Gerald Brevard was taken into custody by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents in southeast Washington at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and handed over to D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department. He is being charged with first-degree murder and assault, authorities said.
Law enforcement officials said they were able to identify and locate Brevard after receiving multiple tips from residents about his identity and potential whereabouts, and after he posted a social media photo that appeared to place him in the city.
“Our partnership with the community and across the criminal justice system proved extremely valuable, leading us to a swift identification of our suspect and ultimate apprehension here in Washington, D.C.,” Police Chief Robert Contee III said at briefing. He added that the city would be paying out the promised reward as a result of the tips.
The New York and Washington police departments each offered $25,000 for information leading to an arrest. The ATF offered an additional $20,000.
Brevard's father said his son has been struggling with mental illness and that his family had been trying to get him help, according to the Washington Post.
New York officials haven't brought charges against Brevard, though they said Tuesday that they're working with the Manhattan District Attorney on next steps. Officials added that it was unclear how the suspect traveled between New York and Washington.
Read more: Police, U.S. agencies offer $70,000 reward in homeless shootings
Brevard has been arrested in Washington for violent incidents in the past, including for assaulting an officer in 2018. That resulted in a mental health competency assessment to see if he could stand trial. He was found fit and remanded to jail, according to D.C. officials.
Between March 3 and March 9, three men were shot in Washington, one fatally. D.C. police identified 54-year-old Morgan Holmes as the victim of the March 9 fatal shooting in the northeast part of the city. This past weekend, at least two men were shot in New York and one died.
Officials realized the cases were related after a police captain saw images of a suspect in New York on social media who fit the description of the D.C. gunman.
Agents with the ATF confirmed the same gun was used in all five shootings.
The attacks on a vulnerable population come as the mayors of both cities grapple with high-profile outbursts of violence and increases in some kinds of crime that have hamstrung efforts to draw tourists in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
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