Simone Biles' brother charged with murder after he fatally shot three people at a house party in Airbnb
Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles' brother Tevin M. Biles-Thomas has reportedly been charged over a triple-homicide incident on New Year's Eve in Cleveland. Biles-Thomas was arrested at Fort Stewart in Georgia on August 29 after being suspected of the fatal shooting at an AirBnB rental eight months ago that left three men dead, according to reports.
Biles-Thomas, 24, who is on active duty in the US Army, has been charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault, and perjury, according to the Daily Mail.
The fatal shooting reportedly occurred shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve at an Airbnb rental apartment above a pizza shop in Cleveland's Brooklyn Centre neighborhood. According to authorities, a fight broke out in the apartment after uninvited guests arrived at a party there.
The 24-year-old is reportedly accused of opening fire on the group, which resulted in the death of Devaughn Gibson, 23, DelVaunte Johnson, 19, and Toshon Banks, 21. Two others were also injured in the incident, including a 21-year-old man who was shot in the back of the head and a 23-year-old woman who was shot in the arm.
Officials said by the time they arrived at the team, the shooter or shooters had fled the scene, and no weapons were recovered from there. Biles-Thomas is reportedly the only person charged over the shooting yet. It is not yet clear what led investigators to believe that the 24-year-old was the killer nearly nine months after the incident.
Biles-Thomas' gymnast sister, Simone Biles, has not yet remarked on her brother's arrest. However, she wrote a tweet shortly after the news of her brother's arrest broke, writing: "eating my feelings don’t talk to me."
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor O'Malley, while talking to Cleveland.com, said: "The relentless persistence of Cleveland police homicide detectives helped secure an indictment in this case. It is through their hard work that we can begin to seek justice for these victims."
Biles-Thomas is currently being held at the Liberty County Jail without bond and is pending extradition to Cleveland. He is set to appear in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court for arraignment on September 13.