Sebahattin Ciftci, 46, was found dead in his vehicle in the parking lot of a 24-Hour Fitness at Bayfair Center in San Leandro on September 14, 2023. He had suffered fatal gunshot wounds and spent 9mm shell casings were recovered inside his car. Ten days later a similar fatal shooting occurred in the same lot, and investigators linked the two incidents.

Surveillance footage from nearby businesses showed the same person of interest at both crime scenes, wearing similar clothing and distinctive black work boots with metallic shoelace keepers, and carrying a red Nike backpack during the first homicide. The individual was seen leaving both scenes via the same route north on Hesperian Boulevard then west on Halcyon Drive. On October 17, 2023, a man matching that description, 23-year-old Joshua Ballard of San Leandro, was detained near Hesperian and Halcyon. Officers found an un-serialized 9mm semiautomatic handgun on him and recovered additional evidence at his residence.

Ballard was charged by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office with two counts of murder and multiple weapons and violent-crime counts, including attempted carjacking, robbery and assault with a firearm. Authorities said the victims did not appear to have been specifically targeted and that the incidents were not directly related to the fitness center. Anyone with information about Ciftci or the shootings is asked to come forward.