U.S. gymnast Simone Biles' brother arrested as accused shooter in triple murder

[rooster59]

U.S. gymnast Simone Biles' brother arrested as accused shooter in triple murder

By Barbara Goldberg

 

(Reuters) - The brother of U.S. gymnastics star Simone Biles has been arrested and charged with murder, accused of shooting and killing three people at a New Year's Eve party in Cleveland, law enforcement agencies said on Friday.

 

Tevin Biles-Thomas, 24, of Cleveland, was being held at the Liberty County Jail in Hinesville, Georgia on six counts of murder, three of voluntary manslaughter, five of felonious assault and a single count of perjury, according to a joint statement from the Cleveland Division of Police and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.

 

His arraignment at Cleveland's Cuyahoga County Justice Center, where a grand jury indicted him on the criminal charges, was set for Sept. 13. Authorities said it was unknown whether he had a lawyer.

 

Biles-Thomas was part of an "uninvited group" that entered the New Year's Eve house party, leading to an altercation with guests and shots fired, prosecutors said.

 

Two men died at the scene: Delvante Johnson, 19, and Toshaun Banks, 21. A third victim - Devaughn Gibson, 23 - was pronounced dead at a hospital.

 

"Cleveland Police's Homicide Unit conducted an investigation and identified Tevin Biles-Thomas as a shooter in the incident," the joint statement said.

 

Authorities declined to elaborate on whether other gunmen were involved, saying, "This case remains under active investigation; therefore we are unable to comment further."

 

Biles-Thomas, a U.S. Army soldier, was taken into custody on Thursday at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Biles-Thomas, who holds the rank of specialist, is a cannon crewmember assigned to 3rd Infantry Division, said base spokesman Christopher Fletcher. He joined the Army in 2014 and was deployed to Korea in 2018 as part of a rotational deployment.

 

Authorities did not give an explanation for the delay in making an arrest in the case.

 

The arrest comes the same month that Simone Biles, 22, made history at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships when she became the first woman to complete a complicated manoeuvre known as a triple-double during the floor exercise competition. She is among more than 100 gymnasts who say they were abused by former Gymnastics USA team doctor Larry Nassar, who is serving a prison sentence of up to 175 years after pleading guilty to criminal sexual conduct.

 

Biles and her brother were among several siblings raised by different relatives after their biological mother, who struggled with substance abuse, relinquished custody when they were young children.

 

Representatives for the gymnast did not immediately respond to requests for comment. On Thursday, Biles wrote on Twitter: "eating my feelings don't talk to me."

 

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York; Additional reporting by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita Choy)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-08-31

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[Puchaiyank]

Why does the press insist in dragging innocent family members into a mess like this...most press these days are either filled with conspiracy theories (I was informed by an unnamed government official)...or filled with salacious accusations...better known as gossip...

 

Get a real job!

[daoyai]

35 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

Why does the press insist in dragging innocent family members into a mess like this...most press these days are either filled with conspiracy theories (I was informed by an unnamed government official)...or filled with salacious accusations...better known as gossip...

 

Get a real job!

I have to agree,  if he was not the bro of a famous person this would hardly make the local news, just another black thug shooting.  We both clicked on the story so there is the reason... the shooter's sister just made world history in gymnastics... feel sad for her..

[chocolatesound1]

4 hours ago, daoyai said:

I have to agree,  if he was not the bro of a famous person this would hardly make the local news, just another black thug shooting.  We both clicked on the story so there is the reason... the shooter's sister just made world history in gymnastics... feel sad for her..

Or just a shooting... Not sure why it has to be a thug (black) shooting. We're having white kids doing almost daily mass murders but never hear them called thugs.

[daoyai]

45 minutes ago, chocolatesound1 said:

Or just a shooting... Not sure why it has to be a thug (black) shooting. We're having white kids doing almost daily mass murders but never hear them called thugs.

My meaning was that 6% of the U.S. population is responsible for 52% of gun homicides ... it is a daily occurrence and does not make the news..too common.. if a white guy goes into a house party and shoots multiple people, that is news worthy... and also fits the leftist media narrative.

[chocolatesound1]

11 hours ago, daoyai said:

My meaning was that 6% of the U.S. population is responsible for 52% of gun homicides ... it is a daily occurrence and does not make the news..too common.. if a white guy goes into a house party and shoots multiple people, that is news worthy... and also fits the leftist media narrative.

Not sure where you get your numbers since the black US population is around 12% and I wasn't talking about a white guy shooting at a house party (I don't remember seeing any house party shootings on the news). I meant random school, work and other public shootings where they don't even know most of the people. Not denying that black gun violence is a big problem but how many killings of random kids and adults does it take to be called a white thug? To me you're a thug if you shoot any defenseless undeserving person. 

[Happy Grumpy]

17 hours ago, daoyai said:

We both clicked on the story so there is the reason.

Yeah,

 

 

 

Quote

U.S. gymnast Simone Biles

 

High probability of gymnast split shots.

[Jingthing]

Sorry guys. It's a legitimate news story to highlight the connection to a famous person. It is true it wouldn't be more than local news if there wasn't a connection to a famous person,. But there was, so It becomes a bigger story. It would be irresponsible journalism to suppress the facts about the connection to a famous person. 

[daoyai]

4 hours ago, chocolatesound1 said:

Not sure where you get your numbers since the black US population is around 12% and I wasn't talking about a white guy shooting at a house party (I don't remember seeing any house party shootings on the news). I meant random school, work and other public shootings where they don't even know most of the people. Not denying that black gun violence is a big problem but how many killings of random kids and adults does it take to be called a white thug? To me you're a thug if you shoot any defenseless undeserving person. 

Total percentage of Americans with African ancestors is about 12% so MALES are about 6%.

 

A "thug" is an individual that lives the "thug life" as promoted in popular hip hop "music" and culture, an individual that would crash a party while armed and confront then kill the party goers when asked to leave fits the stereotype.

 

The typical white mass shooter of which there very very few, rarely if ever lives the "thug life".

[chocolatesound1]

17 hours ago, daoyai said:

Total percentage of Americans with African ancestors is about 12% so MALES are about 6%.

 

A "thug" is an individual that lives the "thug life" as promoted in popular hip hop "music" and culture, an individual that would crash a party while armed and confront then kill the party goers when asked to leave fits the stereotype.

 

The typical white mass shooter of which there very very few, rarely if ever lives the "thug life".

Very few??? It's been happening at least once a week.. and most of them are white. If your definition of a thug is only someone living the hip hop "thug life" than you're right for the most part... although that phrase was popular over 20 yrs ago when Tupac popularized it and it's been a while since I've heard it. Here in California you have a lot of white kids (and other races) now living the "hip hop thug life" I still consider people like Devon Kelley who beat his wife and fractured his child's skull and this weekends shooter who terrified his neighbors and would constantly shoot his gun through out the night a thug... He even had tear drop face tattoos to fit the stereotype but you never hear a white killer called a thug and common to throw it out for blacks. 

[daoyai]

5 hours ago, chocolatesound1 said:

Very few??? It's been happening at least once a week.. and most of them are white. If your definition of a thug is only someone living the hip hop "thug life" than you're right for the most part... although that phrase was popular over 20 yrs ago when Tupac popularized it and it's been a while since I've heard it. Here in California you have a lot of white kids (and other races) now living the "hip hop thug life" I still consider people like Devon Kelley who beat his wife and fractured his child's skull and this weekends shooter who terrified his neighbors and would constantly shoot his gun through out the night a thug... He even had tear drop face tattoos to fit the stereotype but you never hear a white killer called a thug and common to throw it out for blacks. 

Thuggery is not race specific, it is an attitude thing, I think the term originated in India.  Many of the mass shooters are more introverted types.  

[chocolatesound1]

6 hours ago, daoyai said:

Thuggery is not race specific, it is an attitude thing, I think the term originated in India.  Many of the mass shooters are more introverted types.  

I agree.