Olympic star Simone Biles is now dealing with a family-altering event — just as three other families are grappling with unimaginable loss after the sudden, tragic deaths of their loved ones.
The five-time medalist’s 24-year-old brother, Tevin Biles-Thomas, has been arrested and charged with murder following a shooting in Cleveland back on New Year’s Eve. According to police, a fight broke out at an AirBnb in the city when shots rang out, and three victims were killed; two other people were also left injured.
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Now, the Olympian’s older brother has officially been arrested and charged in the shooting. The elder Biles, who is on active duty in the Army and was arrested at an army base in Georgia on Thursday, is facing charges including murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault, and perjury in the deaths of Devaughn Gibson, 23, DelVaunte Johnson, 19, and Toshon Banks, 21.
Biles-Thomas is currently the only person charged in connection with the fatal shooting, though that may change. He is currently being held without bail in jail in Liberty County, Georgia, and is set to appear next in court on September 13.
‘Relentless Persistence’
Following the 24-year-old’s arrest, Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Prosecutor Michael O’Malley, who is set to oversee the case and will likely soon extradite Biles-Thomas from Georgia, told reporters (below):
“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.”
Though still very early on in the investigation, it’s likely the young suspect will face life in prison if convicted. A trial date has not been set.
A Difficult Life
The Biles siblings didn’t have it easy growing up as children. Because of their biological mother’s addiction issues, the brother and sister were eventually adopted by their grandparents. The 22-year-old athlete, who refers to those grandparents as mom and dad, has previously talked about their support at length (below):
“My biological mom was suffering from drug and alcohol abuse and she was in and out of jail. My parents saved me. They’ve set huge examples of how to treat other people, and they’ve been there to support me since day one. There’s nothing I could say to them to thank them enough.”
And although it’s unclear how close the siblings are to this day, the gold medalist has previously posted photos alongside Tevin on social media, as you can see (below):
Happier times…
Such a sad story all around.
Our thoughts are first and foremost with the families of the victims in this case, as well as with Simone and the rest of her family as they grapple with the continued fallout from this awful incident.
[Image via WENN/Liberty County Sheriff’s Office]
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