The brother of gymnastics icon Simone Biles has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder and manslaughter in the shooting deaths of three people during a New Year’s Eve house party in Cleveland.
Tevin Biles-Thomas, 24, a soldier in the U.S. Army, was apprehended at Fort Stewart in Georgia, which is located just three hours southeast of Atlanta. He is being held in connection to a violent incident that erupted at a bed-and-breakfast in Cleveland, according to The Blast.
Biles-Thomas had returned to his home state for a New Year’s celebration. According to TMZ, while the party was in full motion, an “uninvited” group of people stormed the party, and a brawl quickly ensued inside the house.
During the brawl, Biles-Thomas reportedly pulled out his firearm and fatally shot three people and seriously wounded two others.
The Blast states that Delvante Johnson, 19, and Toshaun Banks, 21, were pronounced dead at the scene. Devaughn Gibson, 23, was rushed to a hospital but later died.
What precipitated the brawl that led to the fatal gunfire had not been determined as of Friday, Aug. 30, 2019.
A Cuyahoga County grand jury in Cleveland returned indictments against Tevin Biles-Thomas on six counts of murder, three counts of voluntary manslaughter, five counts of felonious assault and one count of perjury, according to The Blast.
TMZ also noted that, under Ohio law, “purposely killing” and “knowingly killing” a victim are separate counts for each victim. Consequently, Biles-Thomas is facing six murder charges in the deaths of three people.
Biles-Thomas is currently being held without bail in Georgia but will be extradited back to Cleveland to face the charges on Sept. 13, according to TMZ.
The family of Simone Biles, who is considered the greatest gymnastics performer of all time, originates from Columbus, Ohio, about a two-hour drive south of Cleveland.
