Man Who Became Champion of Rehabilitation Is Charged With Murder

A man who became an outspoken advocate for rehabilitation and a youth counselor at the Queens public defenders’ office after his release from prison last year was charged with killing a 44-year-old man inside a Bronx apartment building this week, according to internal police reports and two high-ranking law enforcement officials familiar with the case.

The suspect, Sheldon Johnson, 48, was charged on Thursday with murder and criminal possession of a loaded firearm. Mr. Johnson, who served about 25 years behind bars for attempted murder and other charges, appeared last month on Joe Rogan’s popular podcast, where he discussed his incarceration and his work with at-risk youth.

The Queens Defenders declined to comment on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the police received a 911 call around 1 a.m. regarding gunshots inside an apartment building in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, according to the police reports and the law enforcement official.

At least one neighbor told the police they heard two shots from inside a sixth-floor apartment, according to an internal police report. Moments later, the neighbor heard a person shout, “Please don’t, I have a family!”

Then, the neighbor told the police, two more gunshots rang out.

Shortly after hearing the shots, the neighbor saw a man carrying cleaning supplies walk in and out of the apartment. The neighbor did not recognize the man, and told the building superintendent what they had heard and seen. The superintendent called 911 for a wellness check.

When officers arrived at the apartment on Summit Avenue, near the corner of West 162nd Street, they found a man’s torso and a foot inside a plastic storage bin, according to the reports and the official.