Wanted Murder Suspect Arrested in NYC After Random Police Stop for Drinking in Public

New York City police offers made a surprise discovery on Tuesday while making a routine arrest.

On Tuesday, 37-year-old Jorrell Shoals was being issued a summons for publicly drinking alcohol from an open container after being picked up by officers in the South Bronx. As officers looked him up, they learned that Shoals was wanted for the murder of 54-year-old Ramon Cruz.

On June 23, officers responded to a 911 call reporting the occurrence of an assault at 526B Willis Avenue around 11 p.m. Cruz was found with lacerations to his face. He eventually succumbed to his injuries on July 17 after being hospitalized for about 3 weeks.

According to court papers, Cruz was killed by Shoals "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."

On July 31, the NYPD released Shoal's name and face, enlisting the public's help in locating him.

Shoals' father, Joe Shoals, told journalists at Daily News he'd suspected his son had mental illness, but that he had never been diagnosed or treated.

"Jorrell has never been really checked on that," said Joe Shoals. "He's a grown man. You can't tell him what to do."

"I'm sorry for the gentleman that died. It's really unfortunate," said the elder Shoals. "My heart goes out to his family."

Jorrell Shoals was ordered to be held without bail at his arraignment in Bronx Criminal Supreme Court Wednesday afternoon.