Three people are dead in San Bernardino County after authorities say a man gunned down his estranged wife and her date outside a restaurant before he was confronted and fatally shot by an off-duty sheriff’s deputy.
The dramatic sequence of events unfolded Sunday evening in a strip mall parking lot, where fitness influencer Gloria Zamora had been on a date, Fontana police said.
Zamora, 40, built an online following as as fitness influencer and model. She was a mother to seven children between 8 and 24 years old, according to her family. She was estranged from her husband, Thomas Albert Tamayo Lizarraga, 45, who police say shot Zamora and her date, Hector Garduno, 43, just after 9:30 p.m. outside a sushi restaurant on the 15200 block of Summit Avenue.
Police say Lizarraga first shot Garduno and then turned the gun on his estranged wife.
An off-duty San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy in the area heard the gunfire and rushed to the scene and saw Lizarraga running away, Fontana Police Officer Steven Reed said. The off-duty deputy stopped his vehicle in the street, confronted Lizarraga and fatally shot him, police said. A gun believed to be used by Lizarraga was recovered at the scene.
Zamora and Garduno were taken by paramedics to the hospital, where they died from their injuries.
Zamora’s daughter Jazlynne Zamora mourned her mother in a GoFundMe post, where she described Lizarraga as her stepfather.
“My mom was more than just a mother — she was a light in her community,” Jazlynne Zamora said. “She uplifted and inspired countless women, reminding them of their worth, their strength, and their potential. She always said, ‘Women can do anything they set their minds to,’ and she lived those words every day.”
Zamora worked as a personal trainer and amassed over 150,000 followers on Instagram.
Garduno was a father to four daughters, according to a GoFundMe post set up by his family.
“He was a loving, devoted, and hardworking man that was tragically murdered and gone too soon,” read a message from his daughter Yesenia Garduno. “He lived life with strength and did everything he could for his four daughters and family.”
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