A suspect is in custody.
Seven people are dead and at least one has been critically injured following shootings at two locations in northern California. The incident marks the second mass shooting in the state within 48 hours. Here’s what we know.
What happened in Half Moon Bay
The attacks unfolded at a mushroom farm and near a trucking facility, both on the outskirts of Half Moon Bay, a small coastal city about 30 miles south of San Francisco. Deputies, who were called to the area at 2:22 p.m., found four victims dead and one critically injured at the first site, and three victims dead at the second. The injured victim was transferred to Stanford Medical Center.
People live on both of the farming sites that were targeted, and children were reportedly present when the gunfire occurred.
“It was in the afternoon when kids were out of school,” San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus told reporters. “For kids to witness this — it’s unspeakable.”
“This kind of shooting is horrific,” she added. “It’s a tragedy that we hear about far too often but today has hit home here in San Mateo County.”
Ray Mueller, a San Mateo County supervisor, addressed the mental health toll this has taken on the community.
“There were farm workers affected tonight; there were children on the scene at the incidents. This is a truly heartbreaking tragedy in our community,” he said.
He emphasized that the county’s hotline is available to anyone who needs it.
“Please take advantage of the mental health crisis counseling that is available,” he said, adding: “You are not alone.”
The Half Moon Bay shooting suspect
About two hours after the shootings, a sheriff’s deputy found the suspect, 67-year-old Chunli Zhao, parked outside a sheriff’s substation in Half Moon Bay. Video captured by NBC shows Zhao surrendering to authorities and being taken into custody. He has apparently “cooperated fully” with law enforcement so far.
A semi-automatic handgun was found in his vehicle. Authorities believe Zhao acted alone, but no motive has yet been identified.
A horrifying trend
The violence in Half Moon Bay was followed just hours later by another mass shooting in Oakland, California. Seven people were injured and one person was killed in the incident, which officers say involved gunfire between several individuals.
According to Gun Violence Archive, the state has now seen at least five mass shootings so far this month, a ghastly tally that’s stricken communities. Mass shootings are defined as shootings where at least four people are wounded or killed, not including the gunman. The most extreme incident was just days ago in Monterey Park, where a gunman identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran killed 11 people and injured nine others before shooting himself dead. The attack is the deadliest since the massacre in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed.
