The small beach-side community of Half Moon Bay in California has been left reeling after a tragic event that saw at least seven individuals lose their lives in a pair of related shootings. This act of violence comes just two days after another mass shooting that resulted in the deaths of 11 people in Monterey Park. The perpetrator of these shootings is said to be a 67-year-old resident of Half Moon Bay.
According to reports, the individual is accused of opening fire at two rural locations that were located around a mile apart from each other. In the process, some of the victims were shot in front of children who lived nearby and had just been released from school.
The San Mateo County Sheriff, Christina Corpus, has expressed her shock and sorrow at the incident. She stated that “These types of shootings are devastating and unfortunately, all too common.” For children to witness this is unspeakable.” The sheriff’s department and local authorities are now investigating the matter, and the perpetrator is being held in custody.
The community is in shock as they try to come to terms with the tragic event that has occurred. People are struggling to understand how something like this could happen in their small town, and many are questioning what could have been done to prevent it. The families of the victims are in the thoughts and prayers of the entire community as they try to come to terms with their loss.
This tragic event serves as yet another reminder of the need for stricter gun laws and a more robust mental health support system in the United States. It is a call to action for the government and the public to come together and take steps to prevent such senseless acts of violence from happening again in the future. The shooter, thought to be an employee at a local farm or nursery, was apprehended by authorities shortly after the incident. The victims are also believed to have been workers at nearby farms, according to officials.
Deputies of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office discovered four victims who were shot to death in the 12700 block of San Mateo Road, an unincorporated area of the county, around 2:30 p.m. A fifth victim was also located and rushed to Stanford Medical Center with critical injuries, as per the statement issued by the Sheriff’s office. A short while later, deputies found three more victims who had died due to apparent gunshot wounds, about a mile away, in the 2100 block of Cabrillo Highway.
According to Sheriff Corpus, the suspect is thought to have traveled between the two locations, shooting the unidentified victims at each site. The reason behind the shootings is yet to be determined, as per the statement given by the sheriff’s officials. The shooting suspect, Chunli Zhao, was located sitting in his car at the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office substation in Half Moon Bay at around 4:40 p.m. Video footage from ABC 7 shows deputies apprehending a man, who was wearing a white cap, vest, and red long-sleeve shirt in the parking lot.
