2023 Half Moon Bay shootings

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2023 Half Moon Bay shootings
Location of Half Moon Bay within California
Half Moon Bay, California
Map
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3km
2miles
none
San Mateo County Sheriff's Office substation
Sheriff's Office substation
Concord Farms
Concord Farms
California Terra Garden (formerly Mountain Mushroom Farm)
California Terra Garden (formerly Mountain Mushroom Farm)
Half Moon Bay shootings
LocationHalf Moon Bay, California, U.S.
DateJanuary 23, 2023 (2023-01-23)
c. 2:20 p.m. (PST)
Attack type
Mass shooting, workplace violence, spree shooting
WeaponRuger semi-automatic pistol[1]
Deaths7
Injured1
AccusedChunli Zhao
Charges

On January 23, 2023, a spree shooting occurred at two nearby farms in Half Moon Bay, California. Seven people were killed and an eighth person was critically injured. It was described as "workplace violence". The suspect, 66-year-old Chunli Zhao, was taken into custody after he parked outside the sheriff's substation downtown. He lived and worked at the first shooting scene, California Terra Garden – formerly Mountain Mushroom Farm – and had previously worked at the second shooting scene, Concord Farms.

Background[edit]

Half Moon Bay is a coastal, agricultural, and tourist city approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of San Francisco.[2] Seven months earlier, a manager at California Terra Garden who was not Zhao allegedly opened fire with a handgun at a coworker's trailer following a dispute and was later charged with attempted murder and criminal threats, as well as shooting into an occupied dwelling.[3][4] According to the vice mayor of Half Moon Bay, it is difficult for those who are undocumented or not in the country legally, including some of the workers at California Terra Garden and in the city's farming community at large, to seek help from local authorities.[2]

Shootings[edit]

At 2:22 p.m. PST (UTC-8), first responders were notified of a shooting at Mountain Mushroom Farm located in Half Moon Bay. Upon arriving at the farm, they discovered four deceased individuals with gunshot wounds. A fifth victim who survived was airlifted by helicopter to Stanford University Medical Center near Palo Alto, with life-threatening injuries. As responders were arriving at the scene, the gunman drove two miles (3.2 km) away to Concord Farms in a maroon SUV, where he fatally shot three more people.[5] Some of the victims were his coworkers.[6][7] Several children were also present at that shooting scene, but they were left unharmed.[8]

At approximately 4:40 p.m., the suspect, Chunli Zhao, who was a resident and worker at the first farm,[9] was found in his vehicle in the parking lot of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office substation at 557 Kelly Avenue in downtown Half Moon Bay.[10] He was taken into custody without incident and a weapon was located inside his vehicle.[8]

Victims[edit]

The victims were identified as Yetao Bing, 43; Qizhong Cheng, 66; Zhishen Liu, 73; Jingzhi Lu, 64; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50; Jose Romero Perez, 38; and Aixiang Zhang, 74.[11][12][13] Five of them were Chinese citizens according to China's consulate in San Francisco, which strongly condemned the violence.[14][15]

The wounded victim was 23-year-old Pedro Felix Romero Perez, a younger brother of Jose, who was among the dead in the rampage. Pedro was shot five times; he was shot once in the hip, once in the back, once in the elbow, and twice in the stomach.[16]

Accused[edit]

Undated California driver's license photo of Zhao

The district attorney said the accused, 66-year-old Chunli Zhao, was from China and had lived in the United States for at least a decade.[17] He stayed with 34 other employees in 2022 when Mountain Mushroom Farm's ownership was changed to California Terra Garden.[2] Zhao was a coworker of the victims at each site at different times and officials have described the shootings as "workplace violence".[2][14] He has been charged with seven counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, firearm use enhancements, and a count of special circumstance allegation of multiple murder.[18] Zhao later expressed his grievances to investigators and during a jailhouse interview.[19] They ranged from being bullied, working long hours, and his supervisor, who would be killed during the attack, demanding that Zhao pay $100 for a forklift repair after a collision during work.[20] Zhao expressed regret for carrying out the shootings. He could face the death penalty if convicted, though the state of California has a moratorium on executions as of January 2023.[4]

Reactions[edit]

In a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed that President Joe Biden had directed federal law enforcement to help local authorities during their investigations.[21] Governor of California Gavin Newsom was informed of the shooting while visiting the hospitalized victims of the Monterey Park shooting of less than 48 hours earlier, describing the two events in conjunction as "tragedy upon tragedy."[22][23]

The living conditions of the workers at California Terra Garden drew attention following reports that many of them lived in shipping or storage containers and the site did not follow all permit and code requirements.[24] Some were also paid below the minimum legal wage in California.[4] The company later said it would improve the housing for workers and their families.[20]

According to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as ones with four or more casualties (excluding the shooter), the Half Moon Bay shootings as a whole represent the 37th mass shooting in the United States in 2023.[25] According to Mother Jones, which excludes mass shootings in the context of robbery, gang violence or domestic abuse,[26] it is the second mass shooting in 2023.[27]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Maxouris, Christina; Tolan, Casey; Devine, Curt (January 25, 2023). "Half Moon Bay Shooting Suspect Legally Owned His Gun and Targeted Specific People, Authorities Said. Here's What We Know About Him". CNN. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Rodriguez, Olga; Daley, Haven (January 25, 2023). "Half Moon Bay Shootings: Workplace violence investigated as motive, Gov. Newsom speaks out". KCRA. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023. He said the farm employs 20 to 30 Chinese and Latino workers, some of them in the country without legal permission. "We have to understand, a lot of our farmworker community is also undocumented, so there's also the fear of that, of their legal status."
  3. ^ "Half Moon Bay mass shooting was 2nd gun attack at same mushroom farm in 7 months". CBS News Bay Area. January 27, 2023. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Har, Janie; Gao, Ao (January 26, 2023). "Farmworker admits killing 7 on California farms during TV interview". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  5. ^ Gaines, Tori (January 23, 2023). "Seven people dead, suspect identified in Half Moon Bay mass shooting". KRON4. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Stone, J. R.; Hassan, Anser; del Castillo, Amanda (January 24, 2023). "7 dead, 1 critically injured after shootings at 2 farms in Half Moon Bay; suspect in custody". ABC7news.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  7. ^ "Half Moon Bay: Seven dead in another California mass shooting". BBC. January 24, 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Rubin, April; Jiménez, Jesus (January 24, 2023). "7 Dead in Shooting in Half Moon Bay". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  9. ^ Amir Vera; Aditi Sangal; Adrienne Vogt; Leinz Vales; Elise Hammond; Maureen Chowdhury (January 24, 2023). "7 killed in shooting in Half Moon Bay, California". CNN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  10. ^ Weber, Brendan; San Juan, Diana; Van Derbeken, Jaxon; McSweeney, Terry; Favro, Marianne (January 23, 2023). "7 Dead, 1 Injured Following Separate Shootings in Half Moon Bay". NBCBayArea.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  11. ^ Rasmus, Allie; Lee, Henry (January 25, 2023). "Half Moon Bay shooting victims identified". KTVU. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  12. ^ Hutchinson, Bill. "Names of the Half Moon Bay mass shooting victims released". ABC News. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  13. ^ Graff, Amy (January 26, 2023). "Names of victims in Half Moon Bay mass shooting released". MSN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Yeung, Jessie; Wang, Philip (January 27, 2023). "Five Chinese citizens were killed in Half Moon Bay shooting, consulate says". CNN. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  15. ^ "Five Chinese citizens killed in California shooting - consulate". Reuters. January 27, 2023. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  16. ^ "Sole survivor of Half Moon Bay mass shooting speaks out". NBC Bay Area. June 13, 2023.
  17. ^ Castleman, Terry; Petri, Alexandra E.; Hernandez, Salvador; Money, Luke (January 25, 2023). "Half Moon Bay shooting suspect charged with 7 counts of murder, is eligible for death penalty". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  18. ^ Deliso, Meredith. "Half Moon Bay shooting suspect charged with 7 counts of murder: DA". ABC News. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  19. ^ Ellison, Stephen; Wang, Janelle (January 26, 2023). "Exclusive: Suspect Admits to Half Moon Bay Mass Shooting in Jailhouse Interview". NBC Bay Area. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  20. ^ a b Petri, Alexandra E.; Hernandez, Salvador; Castleman, Terry (January 31, 2023). "'The final straw': Dispute over $100 repair bill may have sparked Half Moon Bay shootings". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  21. ^ "7 dead in mass shooting in California's Half Moon Bay; victims reportedly Chinese farmworkers". The Straits Times. Singapore. January 24, 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  22. ^ ""Tragedy upon tragedy": Gov Newsom reacts to Half Moon Bay shootings that killed 7". CBS Sacramento. January 23, 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  23. ^ Newsom, Gavin [@GavinNewsom] (January 24, 2023). "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" (Tweet). Retrieved January 24, 2023 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ Gafni, Matthias; Allday, Erin (January 28, 2023). "Exclusive: Half Moon Bay farms in mass shooting lacked permits to house workers". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  25. ^ Choi, Annette (January 24, 2023). "This is how many mass shootings there have been so far this year". CNN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  26. ^ Follman, Mark (December 3, 2015). "Opinion | How Many Mass Shootings Are There, Really?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  27. ^ Follman, Mark; Aronsen, Gavin; Pan, Deanna. "US mass shootings, 1982–2023: Data from Mother Jones' investigation". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
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