A 47-year-old Berkeley man who was shot Friday on Seventh Street has died, police report, and his alleged killer is now facing murder charges.
Update: Scroll down for a response from West Berkeley Councilmember Terry Taplin
On Friday evening, police performed CPR on Anthony Joshua Fisher when they found him wounded in the street on Seventh Street north of Allston Way after getting multiple reports of gunfire in the area.
When the Berkeley Fire Department arrived, paramedics rushed Fisher to Highland Hospital, the regional trauma center, in Oakland. Fisher had what appeared to be a single gunshot wound, according to court papers. Doctors told police he would not survive.
Fisher was pronounced dead at Highland on Tuesday at 9:10 p.m., BPD said in response to a Berkeleyside inquiry this week. His death marks Berkeley’s first homicide since October 2020.
Earlier on Tuesday, at 11:30 a.m., Berkeley homicide detectives had already arrested their prime suspect in the case, 62-year-old Claudell Moore, at a Motel 6 in Pinole, according to court papers.
Police linked Moore to the killing through witness statements and video surveillance, which also led investigators to “a distinctive vintage Cadillac” that had been identified as the suspect vehicle seen on the night of the shooting, according to charging papers.
When police arrested Moore, an Antioch resident, they found “a concealable revolver holster” and ammunition in his clothing, according to court papers. At a separate location, in Richmond, detectives found the vintage Cadillac “concealed under a tarp.”
Police have not shared any information about what the motive in the killing may have been. Moore’s booking photo could not be released Wednesday due to technical problems with a county website, police said. (Update, March 10: Moore’s booking photo was been added when it became available.)
On Tuesday, police also arrested a 54-year-old woman who witnesses said had been with Moore at the time of the shooting. She was not charged, however, so Berkeleyside is not publishing her name at this time.
On Wednesday, the Alameda County district attorney’s office charged Moore with murder, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, along with a number of other allegations and enhancements that could result in a stiffer sentence if Moore is convicted.
Moore has 13 felony convictions in California dating back to 1980, according to court papers.
They include robbery and burglary convictions in Alameda County — both of which sent Moore to prison — as well as escape from custody, battery on a non-confined person and a number of drug offenses, including drug sales, in Los Angeles, Riverside, Amador, Tuolumne and San Luis Obispo counties.
As of Wednesday, Moore remained in custody at Santa Rita Jail, according to court records online. He is scheduled for arraignment Thursday at East County Hall of Justice in Dublin. He is being held without bail.
Gunfire has been on the rise in Berkeley since 2018, according to a recent year-end crime report compiled by the Berkeley Police Department. That year there were 20 shootings, followed by 28 in 2019, 40 in 2020 and 52 in 2021.
But, unlike last year, where much of the gun violence was limited to property damage or gunfire alone, Berkeley has already had two street shootings that left victims wounded and one, the Seventh Street shooting, that led to a fatality.
In total, Berkeley has had seven confirmed shootings this year.
Police ask anyone with information about any of these incidents to call BPD’s Homicide Detail at 510-981-5741.
Update, 9 p.m. West Berkeley Councilmember Terry Taplin released the following statement. It appears in full below.
I am heartbroken by the news of Anthony Joshua Fisher’s murder. I am grateful for the hard work of the Berkeley Police Department’s homicide detectives to investigate this heinous crime and arrest the suspect. They have fulfilled the highest duty of our officers of the peace with integrity and professionalism, and West Berkeley thanks them for their service.
This is Berkeley’s first homicide in over a year, and it occurred in West Berkeley, where the recent surge in gunfire has been most prominent. Crime is real, no matter how hard some might wish to deny that fact, and it must be addressed now, using the resources and tools at our disposal. The seniors, parents and families in my District will not be mollified by platitudes and performative gestures. We need concrete actions to address violence and crimes happening today, and to hold accountable those who would harm our community. Shooting after shooting, I have met with residents in impacted neighborhoods to develop concrete solutions. I have introduced proposals such as a problem-oriented Flex Team for data-driven community policing, a Ceasefire program, an Automated License Plate Reader (ALPRs) policy with strong civil liberty and privacy protections, and public security cameras for improved electronic evidence gathering to aid investigations.
We have already heard every lecture about the root causes of crime – the very same social determinants that I grew up experiencing in my District. This may be a bitter pill for some, but crime itself is a material harm that disproportionately impacts lower-income households, seniors, and all of our diverse West Berkeley community.
Mr. Fisher’s murderer was caught in part with the help of nearby surveillance camera footage. The frequent use of electronic evidence to solve crimes is not lost on me. Over the last year, I have taken steps to increase our access to critical and basic tools of investigation. We do not have the luxury of debating ideology. We must remain committed to our mandate of providing critical services, including guarding the physical safety of our residents. My eye will remain fixed on that end. I did not enter public service to shy away from the ugly realities my neighbors and loved ones do not have the privilege to ignore. We are a diverse community, but we will never tolerate violence.
Featured photo: Kelly Sullivan
