Half Moon Bay shooting motive appears work related

Chunli Zhao, a 67-year-old Half Moon Bay resident, was arrested in his vehicle in the parking lot of the Sheriff’s Office Half Moon Bay Substation on Monday afternoon after allegedly shooting eight people, killing seven, at two separate locations. Zhao worked at the Mountain Mushroom Farm, the first shooting location, according to Corpus.

The victims were five men and two women, and a mixture of people of Hispanic and Asian descent. Corpus said the only known connection between Zhao and the people was they were coworkers. One of the victims shot was out of surgery as of Tuesday morning and in stable condition. The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office is still working on identifying the victims and next of kin. Because some of the victims were migrant workers, it represented a unique challenge in the family notification, Corpus said.

“Our hearts are broken, and we are working together with the community to heal from this tragic incident,” she said.

Corpus said the semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting was legally purchased and owned. Lt. Eamonn Allen with the Sheriff’s Office said there were no specific indicators that would lead law enforcement to believe he was capable of the shooting, and he was not known to the Sheriff’s Office.

The shooting occurred Monday afternoon in two separate locations. Four people died at Mountain Mushroom Farm in the 12700 block of San Mateo Road, with a fifth person shot. Three people were shot and killed in the 2100 block of Cabrillo Highway South. Zhao was found with the weapon in his car at the Sheriff’s Office substation later in the day and is believed to have acted alone. A deputy found the vehicle and recognized it based on the car and suspect information from the crime scene. Deputies took him into custody without incident.

San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the Sheriff’s Office would submit the case to his office Tuesday. The arraignment will be 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in Redwood City. The DA’s Office has not determined charges yet while it reviews all the information. Wagstaffe said Zhao gave several hours of statements to authorities but could not go into details other than it appears to be work related.

“We have never had one in this county of this many deaths at one time,” Wagstaffe said. “It’s a very hectic scene.”

San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller said the county had moved around 30 to 40 people affected by the shooting who could no longer stay at their homes near the work sites because it is near a crime scene. Mueller said they were taken to hotel room shelters and will remain there for the foreseeable future until they can return. Nonprofit partners are raising money for lost wages. Mueller said he was with the community last night in Half Moon Bay and saw shock and heartache but also love. Community members showed up with food, while faith and nonprofit leaders also came to comfort families. Mueller encouraged people affected by the tragedy to reach out to community and county resources if they needed help or support.