Saturday brought the early morning crowd out to Oak Tree Gun Club in Newhall for the 3rd annual Jacob Anthony Zamora Memorial Shoot.
The sporting clays shoot was held in a section the staff simply referred to as “up the hill.” I’ve shot there once before and so imagine my surprise when I found myself on the back of an ATV climbing up a little dirt mountain road. I guess I hadn’t seen it all.
“Up the hill,” I found 10 shooting stations overlooking a gorgeous valley, where clay projectiles soar from every angle.
It was at station one that I was introduced to Jacob Zamora’s father, sister, and other relatives, who told me Jacob’s story.
Jacob worked at Oak Tree, and was a crack shot. His passion was being up the mountain and he shared that with his best friends, who worked there with him. On November 22nd, three years ago, he was driving a Gator cart in the mountain paths at Oak Tree with his friend hard at work. Somehow his cart went over the side of the dirt road. His friend was thrown out of the cart, suffering a bruise on his arm. Jacob Zamora lost his life, he was 19 years old.
Jacob was also a member of the CHP Explorers, a law enforcement preparatory group in Newhall.
So it makes sense that his family and Oak Tree teamed up to put on this memorial shoot and donate the proceeds to the CHP Explorers. After meeting his family and his best friend and hearing their stories, it is abundantly clear to me that Jacob was not just another kid. And judging by the success of the turn out, and the thousands in raffle prizes, I’m not the only one who knows it.
Jon Dell
KHTS AM 1220 News
11-18-06