Police arrested Chunli Zhao, 66, in connection with two separate shootings at farms in Half Moon Bay that killed seven people and injured one, ABC 7 reports.
The shootings occurred on Monday with first responders receiving a call about an active shooter at Mountain Mushroom Farm on San Mateo Road near Highway 1 and Concord Farms off Cabrillo Hwy S. around 2:20 p.m. It was less than 48 hours since the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California.
Zhao was taken into custody without incident. According to CNN, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said at a press conference Tuesday that Zhao had legally purchased the semi-automatic handgun they believe he used during the shootings.
Authorities say among the victims are seven men and one woman of Asian and Hispanic descent. The specific identities of the seven people killed and one injured are unclear at this time. According to The New York Times, the United Farm Workers union said in a statement that the seven people killed were farm workers. The farms where the shootings occurred employed several migrant workers.
CNN reports that investigators believe Zhao worked at one of the farms where he allegedly carried out the shootings. They say it was a workplace violence incident.
“What we know is this turned into a workplace violence incident and he had an opportunity, we believe, to hurt other people, but he targeted individuals that he went after and pursued,” Corpus said at a press conference according to CNN.
California Governor Gavin Newsom met with the families of the victims at the hospital on Monday. President Biden has also offered his condolences.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
Happy Lunar New Year. Great news. We have met our $5,000 matching grant challenge with less than 3 full days to go. Now let’s get to the next milestone. Let’s surpass our goal by 20%. With your help, that’s achievable. All tax-deductible donations will go toward fully funding an editor position at AsAmNews and to support our reporting. You can make your tax-deductible donations here via credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Venmo. Stock donations and donations via DAFs are also welcomed.
Please also follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and X.
