Man Accused Of 2 Murders Arrested, Charged In San Leandro

SAN LEANDRO, CA — Two people were shot to death in their vehicles 10 days apart in San Leandro. Both were parked outside a fitness center. Now, police have arrested a man they say is responsible for both murders.

Joshua Ballard, 23, of San Leandro, was charged Thursday with two counts of murder, attempted carjacking, robbery, assault upon the person of another with a firearm, and other weapons violations.

Both murders happened during early morning hours — the first on Sept. 14 and the second on Sept. 24. Spent 9mm shell casings were located inside both victim vehicles.

According to police, "During the investigation, detectives pored over surveillance footage collected from nearby businesses. They were able to isolate a person of interest and possible suspect, seen coming to and from the scenes of both homicides. This suspect wore similar clothing in both instances and black work boots with a distinctive metallic shoelace keeper. The suspect was also seen taking the same route when leaving the scene, traveling north on Hesperian Boulevard and then turning west onto Halcyon Drive. During the first homicide, the suspect wore a distinctive red Nike backpack."

Images of the suspect were distributed to San Leandro Police officers and other law enforcement agencies. Police increased visible patrols and undercover surveillance in the area in an effort to prevent similar crimes and to catch the man responsible for the murders.

On October 17, a patrol officer responding to an unrelated call noticed a man wearing the red Nike backpack and black work boots. He was walking in the area of Hesperian and Halcyon just after 2 p.m.

Detectives and patrol officers converged to stop and detain him as a possible suspect in the homicides. During a search of the suspect, an un-serialized 9mm semiautomatic handgun was found.

Ballard was taken into custody, and a search warrant was obtained for his residence. Police say they found more evidence connecting him with the homicides.

According to police, the crimes were random, not targeted.

"We understand that this case garnered a lot of community attention and generated an understandably high level of concern for public safety, particularly at 24-Hour Fitness Bayfair. Our detectives worked tirelessly to canvass for and sift through numerous leads, evidence, and surveillance footage to connect the homicides and ultimately identify the suspect," said Lt. Abe Teng.

"As with most investigations of this scale, this case was a collaborative effort between our department and numerous outside agencies willing to lend us their resources and provide intelligence. The San Leandro Police Department would especially like to thank the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for aiding our investigative efforts."

If you have additional information regarding these crimes or Joshua Ballard, contact Detective C. Pricco at 510-577-3244, call the anonymous tip line at 510-577-3278, or text-to-tip at 888777, keyword: TipSLPolice.