Police suspect murder-suicide in Santa Rosa shooting

A man and woman identified as a married but recently separated couple died Monday morning in the parking lot in front of a Santa Rosa gym in an apparent murder-suicide, Santa Rosa police said Monday.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Coroner Office on Monday identified the shooter as 52-year-old Tomas Zamora-Martinez of Santa Rosa, and the victim as his wife, 43-year-old Paula Zamora of Santa Rosa.

Santa Rosa police officers responded at 8:27 a.m. Monday to a report of shots fired in the parking lot of Coddingtown Mall, near the Crunch Fitness gym. A woman, later identified as Paula Zamora, was found in the front seat of a white Chevrolet Tahoe SUV; police said in a statement that she had been shot “multiple times.” She was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Witnesses told Santa Rosa police that a man walked up to the white Tahoe, fired multiple gunshots and fled in a gold-colored Jeep SUV. About 40 minutes after the shooting, police got a 911 call reporting a man who appeared to be dead behind the wheel of a gold Jeep SUV parked at the end of Herbert Street at the rear entrance to the 2001 Coddingtown Mall apartment complex, police said. This is about three blocks from where the shooting occurred. That man, later identified as Tomas Zamora-Martinez, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. A handgun, which matched the caliber of the handgun used in the shooting, was found in Zamora-Martinez’s hand. The handgun, police said, had been reported stolen in Las Vegas and was not registered to Zamora-Martinez.

Police say this was a “targeted act of violence” during which Zamora-Martinez waited in the gym parking lot for his wife to arrive. After the shooting, Paula Zamora’s vehicle – which was in gear — rolled and struck a parked, unoccupied vehicle in the parking lot. A second parked and unoccupied vehicle was struck by a bullet fired by Zamora-Martinez, police said. No bystanders were injured.

Police continued to investigate Monday night. Anyone who witnessed the shooting is encouraged to call the Santa Rosa Police Violent Crimes Team at (707) 543-3590.