An Atmore man, free on bond from several drug-related and other charges, is back behind bars after his arrest for the August 3 murder of a Camden man who was shot to death as he rode his bicycle along a street in the city’s northeastern sector.
Police Chief Chuck Brooks confirmed that Ladarius Jamaal Crenshaw, 22, is charged with the shooting death of 31-year-old Shawn Oneil Quarles. Quarles, a Camden resident who was staying in a unit at Patterson Street Apartments, was gunned down around 10:30 p.m. as he pedaled along Ann Street, on his way to a local convenience store for cigarettes.
A mini-task force of city police, Escambia County deputies and agents of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force served the murder warrant against Crenshaw on September 13, at that same apartment complex.
Despite the arrest, Brooks said authorities are still investigating the homicide and are not at liberty to discuss certain aspects of the case, including a possible motive for the fatal shooting. Brooks would not comment on whether or not the murder weapon had been recovered, nor would he reveal the type of weapon used in the slaying.
“I’m not going to talk about any of that at this time,” the police chief said Tuesday. “We’re still working the case.”
Police were sent to a location near the intersections of Ann and May streets after several residents of the area called to report hearing gunshots on August 3. The first officer to arrive discovered a person later identified as Quarles lying in the one-block street, which connects Patterson Street and Brooks Lane, bleeding profusely from a chest wound.
The policeman administered CPR, as did medics who arrived moments later, but the Camden man was later pronounced dead at Atmore Community Hospital’s emergency center, where hospital staff further tried to save him.
Escambia County Detention Center records show that at the time of the murder Crenshaw was free after posting bond on two counts each of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and first-degree marijuana possession, along with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Jail records show that Crenshaw’s earlier bond was revoked and that he is now being held under a $1 million bond.
According to Alabama law, simple (non-aggravated) murder is a Class A felony that carries upon conviction a prison sentence of 10-99 years, along with a fine of up to $60,000.