Emily and Cullen Bivens.Photo: GoFundMe
Family, friends, and fellow baseball players are mourning the deaths of three members of minor league baseball pitcher Blake Bivens’ family.
Emily Bivens, the couple’s 1-year-old son Cullen, and her motherwere found deadTuesday morning at a home in Keeling, Va., after a neighbor called police to report the body of a female victim in the driveway of the home around 8 a.m. All three victims had been shot to death.
Our Baseball Life, an organization that supports families of professional baseball players, has organized aGoFundMeto raise money for the funerals.
Police have arrested Emily’s brother, 19-year-old Matthew Bernard.
The footage appears to show Bernard circle an officer multiple times before approaching a man in the church parking lot, reportedly the church’s caretaker, and placing him in a chokehold. He eventually releases his grip after an officer approaches with a Taser and mace, and takes off once again.
The video then appears to show Bernard run toward a group of officers who finally apprehend him as he tries to run into the woods once again.
Blake Bivens, wife Emily and son Cullen.Facebook
PEOPLE confirms that Bernard was charged with three counts of first-degree murder. According to the DanvilleRegister and Bee, he is being held on suicide watch.
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Matthew Bernard.Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office
It was not immediately clear if Bernard has retained a lawyer who could comment on his behalf. No bond has been set.
The Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Bivens, 24, is a pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, and currently plays for the team’s Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits, in Alabama.
The Biscuits canceled a doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday night in the wake of the tragedy.
Blake Bivens.Steve Roberts/CSM/Shutterstock
The Tampa Bay Rays also offered their support, writing in a statement: “Earlier today we learned that Blake Bivens, a pitcher with our Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits, suffered a terrible family tragedy in southern Virginia. Our hearts are broken for Blake. We are grieving with him and will support him any way we can. We ask that everyone respect the privacy of the Bivens family and the Biscuits family during this extremely difficult time.”
Blake and Emily were married in January 2016, and welcomed son Cullen Micah in June 2018, according to their Facebook pages.
Blake previouslyshared a sweet messageto Emily, who described herself as a “lover of Jesus, wife, mama, [and] photographer,” to mark their third wedding anniversary this year.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been set.
source: people.com
