Bronx Homeless Shelter Manager Sexually Assaulted, Shot To Death
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - The manager of a New York shelter was abducted at gunpoint by a former resident who attempted to sexually assault her before shooting her to death, police said.
Officials say 36-year-old Ana Isabel Charle was walking to her car near the 108-bed Project Renewal Shelter in the Bronx Monday around 6 p.m. where she encountered an armed West Spruill.
Police say Spruill sexually assaulted Charle in her car and as she escaped, a naked Spruill chased her and shot her three times in the head and chest.
Charle was found shot and killed on Bullard Avenue, just a block from the shelter that she oversaw.
Police say Spruill was armed when arrested near a car wash soon after.
Authorities say the 39-year-old man had moved out of the shelter in January and police are searching for a motive in the slaying.
Former Bronx Homeless Shelter Resident Accused Of Shelter Manager's Slaying
Resident Julio Martinez told WCBS 880's Paul Murnane he saw the Charle and Spruill in conflict.
"In the lobby they were arguing and he was very upset, he was very upset," Martinez said.
A former boyfriend of Charle's told The New York Times she was aware of the dangers of the job and had transferred to Project Renewal Shelter from another faculty, in part due to safety concerns.
Neighbors in Charle's Whitestone, Queens, neighborhood are in disbelief, describing her as a friendly mother who adored her two daughters.
"It's very heartbreaking, a young mother with young kids that lost their mom," neighbor Harry Mallios said.
"I'm very upset all day today," one neighbor said.
The Project Renewal Shelter released a statement saying, "We are heartbroken by this senseless, tragic loss... Ana was part of the Project Renewal Family...She went above and beyond in her work and put in 110 percent into improving the lives of others."
Spruill has six prior arrests, including for attempted murder, and served time in Michigan for assault with a deadly weapon.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
