Seven people were found dead, and another victim is currently in the hospital after a mass shooting incident in Half Moon Bay, San Matteo County in California, Tuesday, January 23rd. California is disturbed by this newest mass shooting, which happened just a few days after the latest incident in Los Angeles, where 11 people lost their lives.
Half Moon Bay is a mainly agricultural district in San Matteo County near San Francisco. Just after the Lunar New Year, 67-year-old suspect Chunli Zhao allegedly went on a shooting spree in two locations around the area. The first four victims were found at a nursery along Highway 92 at 2:22 p.m. Then three more victims were discovered at the 2100 block of Cabrillo Highway South almost immediately after the first victims. Another victim is in the hospital after sustaining critical injuries.
According to official reports, the suspect initially shot down the victims in the trailer they lived in that was next to the farm they worked at. The suspect then went to the field and shot down the other victims. All casualties were workers in the nurseries, and even the suspect was possibly a worker there too. This incident happened just after the Lunar New Year, which was essential to the community, including the suspect and victims, who are all Chinese-American.
There is no confirmed motive behind the shooting yet, authorities say. The suspect was apprehended on the same day as he was inside his car in a parking lot. The weapon used was also found in the vehicle. The FBI has stepped up to help in this investigation. Meanwhile, the families affected have convened in a reunification center in Half Moon Bay, where they will stay temporarily after the incident. Other members of the community have taken the initiative to give out supplies like blankets and food to the reunification center.
This tragic incident happened just two days after a previous shooting in a dance hall in Monterey Park, Los Angeles. Ten people were killed on the scene, while ten more were rushed to the hospital for injuries. Another victim died in the hospital. Like this latest shooting, the motive is also unknown. The suspect in the Monterey shooting was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Sunday, said the authorities.
California governor Gavin Newsom said he was meeting the victims of the Monterey Park shooting at the hospital when he learned of the Half Moon Bay incident. “At the hospital meeting with victims of a mass shooting when I get pulled away to be briefed about another shooting. This time in Half Moon Bay. Tragedy upon tragedy.”
In both Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay shootings, the suspects seem to have been working alone. Motives are still unclear, but the Half Moon Bay suspect was believed to have been “disgruntled” about work. Officials haven’t released any word about what might have prompted both incidents, but the state of California is shaken by these tragedies.