'Please forgive me' Bay Area triple-murder suspect apologizes in court

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- Stefon Jefferson, 43, made a surprising move during his first court appearance in a Nevada courtroom on Monday-- he apologized.

"First and foremost, I want to apologize to the city and to all the people that was involved with the fiasco involving me," Jefferson said. "First and foremost, I want to apologize to everyone. I was born in America so I was born a free man."

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Jefferson is accused of killing three people on both sides of the Bay and shooting a deputy across state lines. All of the incidents took place on Friday.

"Please forgive me," Jefferson said in court. "My intentions were never to hurt anyone."

Jefferson's words are not nearly enough for Porshia Garvin. Jefferson is the primary suspect in the murder of her youngest brother, Calvin Kelley.

"Why him," Garvin asked. "Why would you just come up to him and just shoot him like this? Why? I want to know why. Who can tell me why? This is senseless."

Monday, Kelley's family held a vigil at People's Park where the shooting happened. Kelley, a father of four, often played chess and other games at the park.

"He was a very peaceful man," Toderick Gellington, Kelley's brother, said. "He was a fixture at the park."

Kelley's family said they'd never heard of Jefferson, until now.

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ABC7 News saw police looking for more witnesses at People's Park on Monday. Our crew interviewed one man who camps at the park. He didn't want to be identified but said he saw the shooting.

"He (Jefferson) walks up to the table," the witness said. "I don't know if they had said something or whatever, but I heard he said something to him. All I heard is one shot and then I look over and I see this guy fall off the bench."

The witness told ABC7 News he ran from the park and called the police.

According to investigators, Jefferson also shot and killed Laron Davis in the Bayview District and Marcus Jackson in Oakland ahead of the Berkeley shooting. Jefferson was caught in Nevada after shooting a deputy.