Camden man charged with manslaughter after beating death at county jail, prosecutors say
Shaquan Shields, 29, punched Edward Brooks, 42, of Newark, Del., several times, and left him for dead in a cell at the Camden County Correctional Facility, authorities said.
A man who beat a fellow inmate and left him to die in a cell at the Camden County jail last week has been charged with manslaughter, authorities said Wednesday.
Shaquan Shields, 29, punched Edward Brooks in the ribs and sternum and struck him in the head just after 1 p.m. on June 12, beating him so severely that he sustained internal injuries, according to the probable cause affidavit for his arrest.
Brooks, 42, of Newark, Del., was found unresponsive lying on the top bunk of the bed in his cell the next day around 7:51 a.m. and was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 8:47 a.m., authorities said.
An autopsy showed that Brooks died from internal bleeding, the affidavit said.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed Shields attacking Brooks, who then stumbled away and collapsed on the ground outside his cell, the affidavit said.
Shields, who has convictions for aggravated assault, domestic violence, and gun and drug crimes, was charged with one count of second-degree manslaughter and will remain at the jail, authorities said.
Shields was being held at the jail after he tried to rob a man at gunpoint in December, the probable cause affidavit said. He was also charged with making terroristic threats when he threatened to shoot and kill Camden County correctional officers that month, and he faces additional charges of drug possession, court records show.
The Camden County Department of Corrections continues to investigate Brooks’ death, along with the prosecutor’s office, county spokesperson Dan Keashen said in a statement.
Brooks was being held at the jail after he robbed a bank in Brooklawn of more than $700 in cash last August, records show.
Family members described Brooks as a sweet and gentle man who had struggled with drug addiction since he was a teenager.
“Eddie was a kindhearted person, and he would do anything for his family and friends,” said his mother, Mary Jean Brooks.
He had been in rehabilitation centers numerous times, his father and namesake Edward Brooks said, but he invariably relapsed.
As their son continued to struggle with addiction, his parents said, they worried about his health and safety.
“I was hoping I’d get the phone call ‘Your son passed away in his sleep,’” the elder Brooks said. “But instead I get the phone call for an investigation into his death.”