Suspect in Half Moon Bay mass shooting worked at farm where 5 people were shot dead

A man accused of mass shootings at two locations in the Half Moon Bay area on Monday legally purchased a semi-automatic pistol allegedly used in the crimes, San Mateo County Sheriff Cristina Corpus said.

On Tuesday, the Corps held a press conference with County District Attorney Steven Wagstaff, who said potential charges against Chunli Zhao, 66, were still being determined and his indictment was likely to take place Wednesday afternoon.

“We’ve never had this many deaths in this county,” Wagstaffe said. He said the case was in its infancy and would take months, possibly years, to complete.

Officials on Tuesday provided an update on Monday’s deadly mass shooting at Half Moon Bay.

The lone survivor of the attack was in stable condition as of Tuesday after surgery, Corpus said. Seven people were killed in two locations Monday: at the Mountain Mushroom Farm on the 12700 block of San Mateo Road and at another farm on the 2100 block of State Highway 1. Four were killed and one seriously injured at Mountain Mushroom Farm, three more victims were found in a business on Highway 1.

The Corps confirmed that Zhao was a Mountain Mushroom Farm employee and said it was the only link investigators found between the suspect and the victims.

The county coroner’s office is still working to identify the victims. The Corps said some of the victims were members of the migrant community in the area, which could create problems for identifying and notifying family members.

Zhao was arrested at 4:40 p.m. Monday after parking his car in the parking lot of the Half Moon Bay Sheriff’s substation, but he did not immediately turn himself in to authorities, according to Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Eamonn Allen, who said a deputy spotted the suspect. vehicle. Zhao was ordered to get out of the car and taken into custody without further incident.

“All the evidence we have points to a case of workplace violence,” said Allen, who declined to elaborate on a possible motive. He said there were children in the area of ​​the shooting, but could not confirm that any of them had witnessed the shooting. All victims were adults.

“The coast has had its fair share of problems,” Allen said, referring to the recent storms that have hit the county. “It only adds to the stress.”

Allen said that Zhao was not known to the authorities prior to the shooting.

The Corps ended Tuesday’s press conference with words of support for San Mateo County and those affected by the tragedy.

“My condolences to the victims, families, colleagues and the coastal community that is suffering greatly,” Corpus said.