Joshua Ballard, 23, has been charged by Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price for committing several heinous crimes, including a shooting in a public restaurant in Oakland and two carjacking homicides in San Leandro. Based on the information published on the Alameda County DA's website, Ballard could receive a life sentence of around 88 years in state prison upon conviction for all charges.
The Oakland Police Department (OPD) investigation revealed that Ballard instigated a dispute with two customers at an In N Out Burger in Oakland on September 3. Following this, he discharged two shots within the densely crowded restaurant. One of the bullets injured a bystander in the ankle. Ballard successfully fled the scene, leaving an unregistered ghost gun, found later. In relation to this occurrence, Ballard was charged with three counts of assault using a semiautomatic firearm, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and possession of a loaded gun within city limits.
Ballard is also suspected of two brutal homicides that took place on September 13 and September 24. Each victim was seated, shot in the head, and killed during a carjacking in the parking area of 24-Hour Fitness in San Leandro. Ballard is charged with two counts of murder, carjacking, and second-grade robbery. During his arrest, he was found in possession of another illegal ghost gun. Given such incidents, DA Price stressed the necessity to reduce accessibility to firearms, especially ghost guns, and actively engage with the youth to avert such instances of lethal violence that spread terror in communities. She said, "There are too many guns in Alameda County and too easy access to guns."
