7 dead, 1 injured in Half Moon Bay shootings; suspect in custody

Seven people were killed in a mass shooting that spanned two separate scenes in Half Moon Bay Monday afternoon, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

Four gunshot victims were found dead about 2:22 p.m. at a daycare along the 12700 block of San Mateo Road (Highway 92), the sheriff’s office said. Another shooting victim was taken to Stanford Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

Shortly after that discovery, three more shooting victims were found dead at another daycare along the 2100 block of Cabrillo South Highway, according to the sheriff’s office.

Authorities identified the suspect as 67-year-old Half Moon Bay resident Chunli Zhao. He was taken into custody without incident around 4:40 p.m. after he was found in his vehicle in the parking lot of the Half Moon Bay Sheriff’s Office substation, the sheriff’s office said. A semi-automatic handgun was found in his car.

Zhao shot three of his victims in the trailers where they lived next to the field where they worked and then shot another two in the field itself, officials said.

“Agricultural workers were affected tonight. There were children at the scene. This is truly a heartbreaking incident in our community,” Supervisor Ray Mueller said.

Authorities believe Zhao acted alone, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said. A motive for the shooting was not immediately known.

The victims are believed to be workers at the properties, Corpus said. Half Moon Bay Council member Debbie Ruddock said the victims were Chinese farm workers.

“This is a devastating tragedy for this community and the families affected by this unspeakable act of violence,” Corpus said.

A Family Gathering Center was established at IDES Hall, located at 735 Main St. in Half Moon Bay.

The shootings in Half Moon Bay come on the heels of a mass shooting over the weekend in the Southern California town of Monterey Park that left 11 dead.

“This kind of shooting is horrific,” Corpus said. “It’s a tragedy we hear about all too often, but today it struck here in San Mateo County.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he met with the victims of the Monterey Park shooting when he learned of the mass shooting in Half Moon Bay.

“Tragedy after tragedy,” he said in a tweet.

Other local, state and federal leaders expressed similar sentiments.

This is a developing story. Details may change as more information becomes available. Stay tuned for updates.