Police Chief Brandon del Pozo in Burlington, Vermont, told a news conference that Erik Averill, 21, Jordan Paul, 21, Myia Barber, 22, and Allison Gee, 25, were arrested on outstanding warrants on Thursday by San Diego police. Tips provided by Burlington police led San Diego detectives to the suspects.
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Burlington police told media in Vermont they are investigating if Beede was attacked because he was transgender.
He said after the suspects left Vermont, police in Roswell, New Mexico identified the group and were able to relay information back to BPD about the auto the suspects were traveling in. Police don’t believe the fatal beating was related to Beede being transgender. They have yet to be assigned attorneys who could comment.
Police say that the four suspects were traveling by auto, and license plate reader technology helped track their movement. He had suffered multiple blunt force injuries to his face and head, causing internal bleeding, and numerous broken ribs. He died six days later at the University of Vermont Medical Center. We are heartbroken. A big piece of our lives has been ripped away from us way too soon.
“Until the attendant facts are clarified, we will continue to view this homicide as a possible bias incident”, he said in a statement.
“He would mentor the homeless people down there”. It said he was a “friend to many” who went to the homeless camp to support others in need. Sometimes he mentored folks there and listened to them when they were at their wit’s end.
He said Averill and the others had beaten Beede after Averill learned that Beede had dumped bottles of urine inside Averill’s tent in reaction to feces being spread on another tent. We are devastated to think that someone or some group of people could do such harm to someone who helped so many.
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“We believe at this point it fits into a wider pattern of aggression against fellow homeless on the part of Mr. Averill rather than targeted aggression motivated by Mr. Beede’s transgender status”. Amos came out to us about being transgender a year and a half ago. We miss him terribly.
