Man charged in slaying at auto shop
A 33-year-old man was charged with murder in the fatal shooting of an Oakland business owner killed in his auto shop last month.
Police said they used surveillance camera footage to identify Robert Moore as the suspect in the shooting death of 68-yearold Aristeo Zambrano, according to court documents. Zambrano was killed at his shop, Bay City Alternators, shortly before noon on Feb. 3.
Investigators believe the shooter was angry over a car battery, court documents show. Surveillance camera footage allegedly shows Moore walking into the shop on International Boulevard while carrying a car battery, then yelling and firing a gun in the shop, according to the court records.
A customer who showed up to get a car battery fixed found Zambrano on the floor and called 911, according to the documents. Zambrano died at the scene.
Moore allegedly left in an Infiniti SUV, and police linked the license plate number to an apartment on 65th Avenue, less than 2 miles away from the shop, according to court records. Officers later stopped the SUV at the apartment complex. The driver, later identified as Moore’s girlfriend, identified him as the suspected shooter seen on surveillance footage, according to the court records.
Surveillance video from the complex shows Moore leaving about 20 minutes before the shooting. He was carrying a car battery and wearing clothing that matches what the shooter wore, according to the documents. Moore returned to the apartment about 20 minutes after the shooting, then left again about an hour and a half later.
In addition to murder, Moore was charged last week in Alameda County Superior Court with being a felon in possession of a gun. He was convicted of a felony count of assault in Contra Costa County Superior Court in 2020, according to the court records.
A warrant for his arrest was issued last week. Police declined to say if he was arrested, and jail and court records showed he was not in custody as of Wednesday.
Zambrano worked as a broccoli cutter in the Salinas Valley in the late 1970s and early ’80s before he opened his shop 33 years ago. A leader in the United Farm Workers movement, he helped fight for wage increases and other benefits for farmworkers.
In interviews with the Chronicle, his family described him as a calm, collected, reserved and generous man. Zambrano is survived by his wife, three daughters and six grandchildren.