Woman killed in shooting outside Turlock auto parts store. Sister says she’d been stalked
A 22-year-old Livingston woman has been identified as the victim of a fatal shooting outside an O’Reilly Auto Parts Store in Turlock on Tuesday night.
According to booking records, Turlock police arrested Juan Francisco Ibarra-Tapia, 22, on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and evading a peace officer, as well as an enhancement for intentionally discharging a firearm.
The victim, identified as Zobeyda “Zoe” Esquerra, died at a hospital following the shooting. Her sister, Cinthya Venegas, said Ibarra-Tapia had been stalking Esquerra for months and was arrested for the crime in October. An emergency protective order was issued but later expired, according to Venegas. She said Ibarra-Tapia bailed out of jail the same day.
Venegas said Ibarra-Tapia followed her sister to the O’Reilly Auto Parts store where she’d gone to pick up her boyfriend from work.
Around 9 p.m. an officer in the area heard the shots as 911 calls were coming into dispatch.
Officers responded to the O’Reilly store and found Esquerra suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
According to Turlock police, Ibarra-Tapia also shot at two employees who were inside O’Reilly Auto Parts. Those employees were not injured. Venegas said one of those employees was Esquerra’s boyfriend.
“Detectives were able to confirm that this incident was not a random act of violence,” reads a press release from the Police Department.
Officers saw the suspect fleeing the scene in a light-colored sedan and followed him as he drove east on Wayside Drive, just north of the auto parts store.
Officers chased the suspect for about two miles before he crashed his car into the fence of a home at Arbor and Quincy and ran from the vehicle.
Police set up a perimeter in the area and issued a reverse 911 call, telling residents to shelter in place.
Officers found Ibarra-Tapia hiding in the 1300 block of Estates Drive, where he was taken into custody without incident. The firearm believed to have been used in the crime was also recovered.
“My sister was a strong, independent woman who loved to be around her nieces and nephews and hoped that one day she could have a big family of her own,” Venegas told The Bee. “She was a very noble person with a big heart who never thought about hurting anyone.”
Venegas said even though Esquerra had problems of her own, she always was concerned about the emotional and mental health of others. “She never hesitated to be there for someone else,” Venegas said. “We are saddened by a great loss, she was ripped from a whole life ahead of her.”
Venegas said Esquerra and Ibarra-Tapia are both from Livingston and met while working at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Store there. They became friends and when it became clear the friendship wouldn’t develop into anything romantic, Ibarra-Tapia began stalking Esquerra.
Approached by a Merced-Sun Star reporter Wednesday afternoon, Ibarra-Tapia’s father said, “I don’t want to talk right now.”
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family, and we hope the arrest of the suspect brings some sense of closure as they mourn the loss of Zoe,” Detective Gina Giovacchini said in the press release.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses. It’s titled “Funeral expenses for Zobeyda Esquerra.”
Turlock police ask that anyone with information on the homicide call Giovacchini at 209-668-6539. You can also contact the Turlock Police Department’s Tip Line at 209-668-5550, ext. 6780, or email tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us.
This story was originally published March 9, 2022 at 8:59 AM.
