The community is grieving after a minor traffic incident in downtown Plymouth late Friday afternoon led to a shocking act of violence that left one man dead and another facing murder charges.
The suspect, 23-year-old David Jerome, of Plymouth, allegedly shot Brent Berkeley, 41, also of Plymouth multiple times — before trying to save him by administering CPR, according to witnesses.
During a press conference at Plymouth Police headquarters Saturday, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said the two men got into a “physical altercation” after an incident in the Middle Street parking lot.
Jerome then allegedly pulled out a high-capacity gun and fired three or four times, Cruz said. When police arrived, they found Jerome’s 18-month-old son strapped in his car seat, physically unharmed.
Jerome’s Facebook page – which now appears to have been pulled down – featured several photos of him wielding assault-style rifles. In one, he smiles broadly while hoisting a rifle and wearing a vest adorned with a black American flag facing backwards.
Multiple witnesses to the shooting called 911 at around 5:45 p.m. to report the shooting. They described the suspect as wearing a gray sweatshirt and having a buzzcut, Cruz said.
An officer who arrived quickly on the scene confronted Jerome and took him into custody without incident, officials said.
Berkeley was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth, where he was pronounced dead at 6:28 p.m.
The nearby Speedwell Tavern, where Berkeley’s partner Jessie Jenks works, announced that it will be closed until Monday.
As of Saturday evening, a GoFundMe page had raised more than $82,000 to help Berkeley’s family.
“Jessie is one of our own and has gone through an unimaginable tragedy,” wrote Meggie Linde, who organized the fundraising effort. “In the blink of an eye and a senseless act of violence Jessie is now raising two beautiful children as a solo parent. We are here to try and alleviate her financial burdens, so she is able to focus her energy on her family.”
On his Facebook page, Speedwell owner Jordan Chabot wrote: “Thank you for the overwhelming love and support. I’ve read your messages, and I can’t thank you enough for the love. Please allow me and my family to process and cope during this rough time, and please above all else let Jessie and her family maintain their privacy and dignity.”
In a statement, the tavern said it plans to donate all proceeds from “our entire day of operation [next] Friday at Speedwell to the family of the victims…We will donate every single dime raised on that day right to the family so finances are the last thing on their mind.”
Jerome, who has a license to carry a firearm and no criminal record, is expected to be arraigned Monday in Plymouth District Court on murder charges, as well as reckless endangerment of a child.
He is also facing weapons charges that include discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, improper storage of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a large capacity firearm — one that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
The shooting shut down streets in the downtown area for more than 45 minutes on what otherwise would have been a bustling Friday evening.
The Middle Street lot has been the scene of fights in the past – usually after closing time at downtown bars – but nothing on the scale of Friday’s shooting. In its aftermath, many people are wondering whether the area is as safe as they thought it to be.
“It’s really scary that this happened,” said a Court Street business owner who did not want to be identified.
“Last night was a beautiful evening and all of sudden it was destroyed in downtown Plymouth,” said Cruz during his press conference. “We live in a world now where many people have short fuses and terrible things happen very quickly and escalate very quickly and then unfortunately look at the aftermath. “
“One family has lost somebody forever and another family is going to be dealing with serious issues,” he said, adding, “we need to make people understand they have to proceed carefully, protect themselves and others and don’t let things blow up out of proportion.”
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org. Mark Pothier can be reached at mark@plymouthindependent.org.