Suspect charged in killing of Richmond father outside Oakland workplace

OAKLAND, Calif. - A suspect has been charged in the killing of a father of two in West Oakland on New Year's Eve.

Murder with special circumstance

What we know:

Joseph Westbrook, 26, faces a count of murder with a special circumstance that alleges he lied in wait in the shooting death of 32-year-old Willie Bernstine, of Richmond, according to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. Westbrook was armed with an assault rifle and a .40-caliber pistol, authorities said.

Killed outside of workplace

The backstory:

Bernstine, a married father of two young children, was shot and killed outside his job at Auto-Chlor, located at 14th and Poplar streets in West Oakland, at about 7 a.m. on New Year's Eve.

The victim had just arrived for work at the cleaning supply company.

Witnesses told Oakland police the shooter, later identified as Westbrook, approached Bernstine with an AR-15-type rifle and shot him before leaving in a car.

Authorities have not disclosed the motive for the deadly incident or the connection between the victim and suspect.

The victim's mother, Leah Freeman, previously told KTVU that she couldn't fathom why anyone would target her son.

"When you got so many people out here that do wrong, why take somebody who's doing right?" she questioned.

She said people were drawn to her son, who was known as "Mistah Man."

"Everyone that knew him loved him. He was a light, an amazing light," she said. "He just was this big ball of energy."