Fans Rally Behind Olympic Champion Simone Biles After Brother Charged in Murder Case
Fans of Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles are offering their support after reports of her brother's arrest Thursday at Fort Stewart in Georgia.
Tevin Biles-Thomas, 24, has been arrested in connection to a shooting on New Year's Eve 2018 that left three people dead. He is currently being held at Liberty County Jail in Hinesville, Georgia. Biles-Thomas faces multiple charges of murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault and perjury.
According to local police, the shooting occurred when a group of people crashed a house party on the southwest side of Cleveland, Ohio on the evening of December 31. The uninvited guests arrived to an apartment building on Denison Avenue around 11:30 p.m. and allegedly started opened fire when asked to leave.
Two men—Delvante Johnson, 19, and Toshaun Banks, 21—were pronounced dead at the scene. Devaughn Gibson, 23, was rushed to Metro Health Medical Center, where he later died.
"The relentless persistence of Cleveland Police Homicide detectives helped secure an indictment in this case," Cuyahoga County Prosecutor O'Malley said in a statement. "It is through their hard work that we can begin to seek justice for these victims.
An arraignment for Biles-Thomas is scheduled for Friday, September 13 at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center. It is unknown whether or not he has legal representation at this time.
Biles-Thomas, who was listed as being on active duty in the United States Army, is the older brother of four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles. The 22-year-old made history earlier this month as the first gymnast to land a double-twisting, double somersault dismount off the balance beam in competition.
"Eating my feelings right now. Don't talk to me," Biles wrote in a Twitter post on Thursday. Though the exact meaning of her message was not 100 percent clear, the tweet has since garnered an outpouring of support from fans. Some even criticized recent coverage of the incident, calling the media "irresponsible," or requesting that it not "drag her [Biles'] name through the mud because of something her brother did."
This is exactly why I hate the media in America. Has nothing to do with @Simone_Biles don’t drag her name through the mud because of something her brother did. She’s an American Icon & Hero for little girls everywhere..
— Dillon Klein (@dillonklein89) August 30, 2019
Others responded directly to Biles' tweet from Thursday, sending "virtual hugs," and reminding her of the tremendous impact she has had on America.
We love you Simone. I won’t talk to you since i can’t imagine what it’s like to be you, just sending a virtual hug 💗 pic.twitter.com/8NmaKGJS1c
— Andrea Gagliardi 💜🐶⚖️📚🤸🏻♀️ (@AndreaG114) August 30, 2019
Sending love and comfort. Charges do not equal guilt and everyone needs to remember that. Many, many times people are accused of things they simply did not do. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
— msengprofft (@engprofft) August 30, 2019
YOU.... YOU ARE SO LOVED & ADMIRED BY SCULLIONS OF US. FROM ONE SIMONE TO ANOTHER: WE ARE FIRE. UNSTOPPABLE. SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE GOT YOUR BACK. TAKE CARE OF YOUR SWEET HEART, DEAR WARRIOR ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
— Simone Rene'e (@frenchifry) August 30, 2019
Biles was born on March 4, 1997 and is one of four siblings. Her mother, Shannon Biles, relinquished her parental responsibilities to the children—Simone, Ashley, Tevin and Adria—after struggling with alcohol and drug addiction.
Biles vaulted to international stardom after competing in the 2016 Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro. She is poised to return to the world stage next year, once again representing Team USA at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
