Oakland police ID victim, arrest suspect in May 23 homicide

OAKLAND — Police here arrested a suspect, who was promptly released without charges, in the recent killing of a 23-year-old man, authorities said.

The victim, 23-year-old Sir Jewel Brooks was shot and killed at around 1:15 p.m. May 23, on the 1400 block of 90th Avenue in Oakland. The investigation quickly took a drastic turn when an eyewitness called 911 to report that they were tailing four suspects in a getaway car leaving the scene, authorities said.

Police pulled over the car and arrested the four occupants, later identifying a 45-year-old man as the shooter. He was arrested on suspicion of murder but later released from jail, and has not been charged, records show.

Police say that the homicide was the result of a large fight, involving several people, that resulted in the 45-year-old man allegedly retrieving a gun and shooting Brooks. Several other potential eyewitnesses fled when the shooting started.

The suspect had a cut on his face when police arrested him, authorities said.

In October 2022, Brooks was shot on board a moving BART train between the Fruitvale and Lake Merritt stations, and was hospitalized. Police said at the time that the shooter stood over Brooks and fired at least five times as he attempted to hide on the train, and that medical professionals likely saved Brooks’ life.

Two suspects — the alleged shooter and a man who assisted the shooter’s escape — were later arrested, court records show.

The following month, Brooks was one of the last people to spend time with 39-year-old Charles Bonner before Bonner was shot and killed on the 1100 block of 90th Avenue in Oakland. Police said at the time that Bonner called Brooks and Brooks’ relative for help after someone slashed Bonner’s tires in Oakland. Later in the day, Bonner and Brooks’ relative were getting food at a restaurant when someone shot and killed Bonner in a still-unresolved drive-by.