A man stopped by cops in the Bronx for drinking booze in public turned out to be wanted for murdering a homeless man, police said Wednesday.
Jorrell Shoals, 37, was being issued a summons for drinking alcohol from an open container Tuesday when cops ran his name and realized he was wanted in the slaying.
Shoals is now charged with murder and manslaughter for allegedly attacking Ramon Cruz, 54, during a confrontation on Willis Ave. near Third Ave. in Mott Haven about 10:50 p.m. June 23.
The suspect allegedly killed Cruz by “repeatedly and forcefully punching the victim in the head with closed fists while the victim laid on the ground, directly striking the victim’s head and also causing the victim’s head to repeatedly strike the hard ground,” court papers charge.
Cruz, suffering a cut on his face, was rushed by medics to Lincoln Hospital. He was in stable condition at the time but died on July 17. The city Medical Examiner later ruled the death a homicide.
Shoals, sporting a full beard and his head half shaved, was ordered held without bail during his arraignment in Bronx Criminal Supreme Court Wednesday afternoon.
On July 31, the NYPD put out Shoals’ name and a photo of him and asked the public’s help tracking him down.
Shoals has an address in White Bear Lake, Minn., but it wasn’t immediately clear when he last lived there.
On June 6, Shoals posted a photo of himself to social media, writing “Chillin’ in The Bronx!”
When reached on Wednesday, Shoals’ father was shocked at the news and to learn his son was in the Bronx. He said he hadn’t spoken with him in a year and a half.
“I’m sorry for the gentleman that died. It’s really unfortunate,” said Joe Shoals, 60. “My heart goes out to his family.”
The elder Shoals said he thought his son suffered from mental illness but had never been diagnosed and said the family couldn’t force treatment on him.
“Jorrell has never been really checked on that,” said the father. “He’s a grown man. You can’t tell him what to do.”
“I’m always telling him don’t do this, do that, do better than your father,” he added. “But he’s got it all figured out I guess.”
Shoals has no criminal record in New York, but has nine convictions in Minnesota, according to that state’s court records, including one for an open container. In 2012 he was sentenced to a year in prison for violating a domestic abuse order of protection, the records show.
Shoals has posted frequently on social media about artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and religion. From his X account, where his handle is “Teacher High King Creator”, Shoals has tweeted at Trump, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber about Jesus.
