Jeweler found shot dead in Hayward HAYWARD

The owner of a Hayward jewelry store was found shot to death in his business, police said Friday.

The victim, Ramiro Espinoza, 53, was found inside Espinoza's Jewelry and Boutique at 655 West Tennyson Road about 3:50 p.m. Thursday.

A motive is unclear, police said.

"We're exploring all the options. Robbery is still a viable one, but we're not going to limit ourselves to that. We're going to look at everything," said Hayward police Sgt. Eric Melendez.

The Bay Area has seen a rash of jewelry store robberies in recent months, with holdups in Oakland, Newark, Corte Madera and San Pablo. Investigators are looking into whether any of those incidents are related.