This story was updated Dec. 31 to include the latest details of the case.
A San Pablo man who police say was a person of interest in the Dec. 29 shooting of an IHOP employee shot himself in the San Pablo Police Department parking lot at about 5:29 p.m. Tuesday, according to a press release.
Officers said they were approached by a man who tried to talk to them but there was a language barrier. He then walked away. Shortly after, officers said they heard a single gunshot and found the man, 44, suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He is in critical condition.
Police, who did not identify him, said he was a “person of interest” in the death of a Richmond IHOP employee who was found early Monday afternoon inside of the Hilltop neighborhood restaurant’s kitchen.
Officers responded just before 1:45 p.m. Monday to the IHOP restaurant on the 3400 block of Klose Way, near Blume Drive, to calls by staff that one of the employees, described by authorities as a Hispanic man in his early 30s, had been found on the floor of the kitchen with head injuries, according to Richmond Police Chief Tim Simmons.
Initially, those injuries were thought to be accidental, Simmons said, but it was ultimately determined by investigators that there was at least one gunshot wound.
“The injuries were inconsistent with falling, so we immediately called our homicide team out and officers continued to conduct a preliminary investigation. They ultimately located evidence at the scene that indicated this was, in fact, a homicide,” Simmons added.
The incident is Richmond’s sixth homicide of 2025.
Simmons told Richmondside that the IHOP parking lot, which sits across the street from Hilltop Plaza, has been a longstanding “hotspot” for crimes like organized retail theft, as well as car thefts.
“I’m obviously very concerned about all homicides, but this one in particular sticks out to me as concerning because it’s brazen in that it’s the middle of the daytime and it’s in a restaurant where an employee is working in the middle of a shopping district,” he said. “It is very important that people who live in Richmond and who visit Richmond feel safe to go out, eat and shop in our city.”
Simmons also said that, because the city turned off its Flock cameras in November due to data sharing concerns, investigators are relying on more “old-school” methods to find leads in this case.
“In a case like this, this is where Flock would help us,” he said. “We would actually know if the suspect had fled in a vehicle and we would know where that car is right now.”
The victim’s identity has not been released. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the San Pablo Police Department at 510-215-3150.
Oh my !!! I had breakfast this morning there RIP 😢
Hi ,Joel my name is Edwin Gonzalez, I need information about, my friend Cristian Flores, was found dead, inside his car, the police the dead was overdosis???overdoses???? Can you let me know about my friend his from Nicaragua.
My email is: munecogonzalez20@gmail.com
Thanks
Edwin Gonzalez