A young Hoover man has been charged in the shooting death of a Birmingham business owner during a robbery attempt.

Sebastian Deonta Ross, 23, is charged with capital murder in the slaying of 44-year-old Snir Lalum, a co-owner of Insta-Movers.

Court records made public this week say Lalum, an Israeli citizen affectionately known by his friends in the U.S. as Sonny, was killed while Ross and another suspect were committing the theft of an undetermined amount of money.

Lalum, co-owner of Insta-Movers, was opening the business for the day on Thursday, Aug. 24, when investigators believe he was targeted for robbery and followed to the warehouse from a nearby convenience store.

When they arrived, they found Lalum suffering from a gunshot wound inside a warehouse bay. They attempted life-saving measures on him until Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service arrived to take him to UAB Hospital.

Lalum was pronounced dead at the hospital at 5:50 a.m.

Ross is being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail. A second suspect remains at large.

Ross in January pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a pistol without a license and marijuana possession. He received a 12-month suspended sentence.

Lalum, who lived in Vestavia Hills with his wife and 6-year-old son, was loved by many.

“This tragedy is so shocking,’’ Brianna Lee, who worked for Lalum and became a close friend, said in a previous interview with AL.com.

“If you knew him, he was a happy-go-lucky character who would dance around the office and sing,’’ Lee said. “He took me under his wing, and I became family.”

Lalum each morning would take the workers up to the gas station to buy them drinks and snacks before the long workday started.

It was in that routine moment, police believe, that Lalum became a target.

Lee said Lalum was generous beyond belief.

“I know everybody says this after somebody passes but if you’re walking around without a shirt on, he would give you his,’’ she said. “He’d done that with some of our workers before.”

“I you needed money, or just wanted money, he gave it to you,’’ Lee said. “He wanted you to succeed as much as he wanted to succeed.”

“I thanked God for him,’’ she said. “My life completely changed for the better since he came into my life.”

A GoFundMe has been started to help Lalum’s wife, Karin, and son, Yarin, and has raised more than $24,000.

Friends said Lalum doted on his young son.

“His son was his world,’’ Lee said.

Insta-Movers reopened on Monday.

“Today is difficult but we all know what Sonny would want and that is for us to move on,’’ Lee said. “He had a passion about working and for the moving industry so we all keep reminding each other with lots of tears and hugs that this is what he would want us to do – continue.”

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.