Half Moon Bay shooting - live: Suspect Chunli Zhao who killed 7 at California mushroom farm bought gun legally

An emotional Gavin Newsom asked, “What the hell is going on?” as he spoke in Half Moon Bay, California, the day after seven farm workers were fatally shot.

“Only in America. Number one in gun ownership, number one in deaths. It’s not that complicated,” said Mr Newsom as the state reels from a string of mass shootings.

“What the hell do I have to lose? We have to call some people out. I’m still waiting for Kevin McCarthy, we haven’t heard one damn word from him since Monterey Park or what happened here. Nothing. It should surprise no one. “

And he added: “Only in America do we see this kind of carnage.”

Chunli Zhao, 67, worked for decades at one of the two agricultural business sites where the shooting unfolded on Monday afternoon.

He was arrested soon after when he was spotted sitting in his car outside a local sheriff’s office. Video showed officers wrestling him to the ground and placing him in handcuffs.

The alleged gunman shot dead four victims and wounded a fifth at the Mountain Mushroom Farm, and fatally shot another three victims at the Rice Trucking-Soil Farm located around two miles away, according to authorities. The eighth victim was airlifted to hospital and is now in a stable condition.

The horror attack is believed to have been witnessed by many children, as many farm workers live on-site with their families.

Police said on Tuesday that Zhao obtained the gun legally and characterised the incident as “workplace violence”.

The arraignment is expected on Wednesday in San Mateo County.

Key Points

• What we know about the Half Moon Bay shootings

• Who is suspect Chunli Zhao?

• Suspect’s arrest captured on video hours after shootings

• Two of seven victims identified

• Half Moon Bay suspect threatened to suffocate roommate, court documents state

Recap: ‘Disgruntled’ mushroom farm worker, 67, arrested for killing 7 in Half Moon Bay

11:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A “disgruntled” mushroom farm worker, 67, has been arrested for killing seven coworkers in a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay – leaving California reeling from its third mass shooting in as many days.

Chunli Zhao, who worked for decades at one of the two sites where the shooting unfolded, was arrested on Monday afternoon after he was spotted sitting in his car outside a local sheriff’s office.

‘Disgruntled’ farm worker, 67, arrested for killing 7 in Half Moon Bay mass shooting

Families share memories of Monterey Park shooting victims as all 11 are identified

10:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Families remember Monterey Park shooting victims as all 11 are identified

Monterey Park shooter may have been building homemade silencers

08:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The Monterey Park mass killer was building homemade silencers for guns and had stockpiled ammunition, police have revealed.

The suspect, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, is accused of killing 11 people and injuring nine others in Monterey Park, California.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Monterey Park mass killer may have been building homemade silencers for guns

California rocked by third mass shooting in three days

06:00 , Oliver O'Connell

California has been rocked by its third mass shooting in as many days as a teenager was killed and seven other victims injured in a shooting rampage at a gas station in Oakland.

The shooting unfolded just after 6pm on Monday at a Valera gas station along Seminary Avenue and Macarthur Blvd, according to the Oakland Police Department (OPD).

Rachel Sharp reports.

California rocked by third mass shooting in days as 1 killed, 7 injured in Oakland

Monterey Park gunman is oldest mass shooting suspect for five decades

04:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The 72-year-old gunman who killed 11 people at a Monterey Park dance studio on Saturday is the oldest mass shooter in more than five decades, according to a non-profit that tracks gun violence.

Bevan Hurley has the story.

Monterey Park gunman is oldest mass shooting suspect for five decades

US begins 2023 with grim wave of mass killings

03:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Eleven people killed as they welcomed the Lunar New Year at a dance hall popular with older Asian Americans. Seven Chinese and Latino farmworkers killed amid the serene beauty of California’s Half Moon Bay. A 17-year-old mother and her baby shot dead in an attack that killed six people across five generations of her family.

While all three of the rampages unfolded in recent days in California, people across the United States are reeling from the regular onslaught of mass killings in the first weeks of 2023.

A database of mass killings maintained by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University shows 2023 off to a particularly deadly start, with 39 people slain in six events since 4 January, when a Utah man, investigated but never charged over a 2020 child abuse complaint, shot and killed his wife, her mother and their five children before killing himself.

Read on:

New year brings a grim wave of mass killings across America

Everything we know about Half Moon Bay shooting

02:00 , Oliver O'Connell

California has now been left reeling from three mass shootings in as many days, after a “disgruntled” mushroom farm worker allegedly shot dead seven coworkers in a massacre in Half Moon Bay.

Chunli Zhao, who worked for decades at one of the two sites where the shooting unfolded, is accused of carrying out two separate shootings at two different agricultural businesses in the San Francisco area.

Here’s what we know:

Everything we know about Half Moon Bay mass shooting that left seven dead

Monterey Park killer claimed his family tried to poison him decades ago

01:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The Monterey Park gunman had told the police earlier this month that his family had tried to poison him decades ago, officials said.

Hemet police spokesperson Alan Reyes said in a statement on Monday that 72-year-old Huu Can Tran visited the Hemet Police Department lobby twice this month – on 7 January and then again on 9 January.

Maroosha Muzaffar reports.

Monterey Park killer thought his family tried to poison him decades ago

Governor says Chinese translator could not describe what shooting victims had seen

00:46 , Graeme Massie

“Their friends got shot, killed,” Gavin Newsom said at a news conference Tuesday.

“They went over, people had been shot, and they thought they were acting. They’d never heard a sound like that, they’d never seen a scene like that, they didn’t even know how to comprehend a gunshot wound. That’s not something they ever experienced, let alone comprehend that.

“Only in America do we see this kind of carnage, this kind of chaos, this kind of destruction of communities and lives and confidence and sense of safety and belonging.”

Half Moon Bay suspect threatened to suffocate roommate, court documents state

00:31 , Graeme Massie

Chunli Zhao, 66, threatened to suffocate and split open a former roommate’s head with a knife, court documents state.

The suspect was accused of making the threats in March 2013 after he quit a restaurant job, according to a civil harassment restraining order filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel states that the roommate said in a sworn declaration that the suspect, “took a pillow and started to cover my face and suffocate me” after being told to collect his final paycheck at the restaurant.

The declaration states that Mr hao responded, “today I am going to kill you.”

Monterey Park: Man died using his back to shelter dance partner from hail of bullets

00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A survivor of the Monterey Park shooting has spoken about how her life was saved by her dance partner who shielded her from bullets.

ABC News spoke with a woman who identified herself as “Shally” and recalled that her 62-year-old male friend protected her from the attack, losing his life in the process.

Read on:

Man died saving dance partner from hail of bullets in Monterey Park shooting

Sheriff clarifies that five men and two women killed by gunman

00:00 , Graeme Massie

San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus clarified that there were five male and two female victims in the Half Moon Bay shooting.

She told a Tuesday press conference that one male victim who was shot remains in stable condition in the hospital.

Earlier, officials had said that there were seven male victims and a woman.

Governor Gavin Newsom talks at Half Moon Bay: ‘What the hell is going on?’

Tuesday 24 January 2023 23:48 , Graeme Massie

“What the hell is going on?” asks an emotional Gavin Newsom on Tuesday afternoon. “Only in America. Number one in gun ownership, number one in deaths. It’s not that complicated.”

“What the hell do I have to lose? We have to call some people out. I’m still waiting for Kevin McCarthy, we haven’t heard one damn word from him since Monterey Park or what happened here. Nothing. It should surprise no one. “

And he added: “Only in America do we see this kind of carnage.”

Half Moon Bay gunman lived at property where four victims killed

Tuesday 24 January 2023 23:31 , Graeme Massie

Mountain Mushroom Farm was bought by California Terra Garden in March 2022, spokesperson David Oates, told CNN.

Mr Oates said that there are three mobile homes and six trailers that employees live in at the farm, and Chunli Zhao also lived there.

Mr Zhao worked at the farm before Terra Garden bought the property and was one of 35 employees, added Mr Oates.

“Everyone had background checks, and there was nothing to indicate anything like this was even a possibility,” he told the news network.

West Coast reels from gun violence ‘suicide pact’

Tuesday 24 January 2023 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Governor Gavin Newsom has branded the Second Amendment a ‘suicide pact’ as California’s reputation as a leading state for gun safety has been shattered by three mass shootings since Saturday night alone.

Graeme Massie reports for The Independent from Los Angeles.

Four days, three mass shootings: West Coast reels from gun violence ‘suicide pact’

Biden notes string of California shootings in meeting with congressional Democrats

Tuesday 24 January 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden took a moment to acknowledge the spate of shootings across California in remarks ahead of a meeting with congressional Democrats today. He added that Vice President Kamala Harris is “going to be going out” and that he had spoken with various lawmakers from the state including Governor Gavin Newsom.

Watch Biden’s remarks (at the 2:40 mark):

SWAT team surrounds Washington home after three killed in convenience store shooting

Tuesday 24 January 2023 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A SWAT team has surrounded a Washington state home after a gunman shot and killed three people in a “random” attack on a convenience store shooting in the latest in a string of US gun attacks.

Graeme Massie reports.

SWAT team surrounds Washington home after three killed in convenience store shooting

Children witnessed attack on farm workers

Tuesday 24 January 2023 20:55 , Oliver O'Connell

San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus told CNN said that the Half Moon Bay shooting seemed to be a "workplace violence" incident at a farm, and that several children witnessed the attack.

"It was a big rural location, so people are working," Sheriff Corpus said. "It's spread out, there's people that live at the location as well. It was in the afternoon when kids were out of school. For children to witness this is unspeakable."

No children were physically injured in the attack.

The shootings occurred at around lunchtime in two separate locations. At the first location, off the Cabrillo Highway, four people were found dead at 2.22pm. A fifth victim suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to Stanford Medical Center — they are now in a stable condition after surgery.

Three more bodies were found roughly a mile away about an hour later.

It is not yet known if children were present at one or both locations.

All of Monterey Park deceased now identified

Tuesday 24 January 2023 20:16 , Oliver O'Connell

All of the deceased from Saturday’s shooting at the Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park have now been identified, The Los Angeles Times reports.

My Nhan, 65; Lilian Li, 63; Xiujuan Yu, 57; Hong Jian, 62; Muoi Ung, 67; Valentino Alvero, 68; Yu Kao, 72; Chia Yau, 76; Wen Yu, 64; and Ming Ma, 72, all died at the scene.

Diana Tom, 70, passed away from her injuries in hospital.

Ms Li’s first name was originally misspelled by the coroner.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles confirmed two of the victims were Taiwanese Americans, and the Chinese Consulate in the city said one of its citizens was among the dead. Mr Alvero was Filipino-American, according to the Philippine Consulate.

President Joe Biden’s full statement on Half Moon Bay shooting

Tuesday 24 January 2023 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The White House released the following statement from President Joe Biden following the shootings at Half Moon Bay, California.

Jill and I are praying for those killed and injured in the latest tragic shooting in Half Moon Bay, California. For the second time in recent days, California communities are mourning the loss of loved ones in a senseless act of gun violence.

Following a briefing from my homeland security team, I have directed my administration to ensure local authorities and the broader Half Moon Bay community have the full support of the federal government in the wake of this heinous attack.

Yesterday, Senator Feinstein — alongside Senators Murphy, Blumenthal and others — reintroduced a federal Assault Weapons Ban and legislation that would raise the minimum purchase age for assault weapons to 21. Even as we await further details on these shootings, we know the scourge of gun violence across America requires stronger action. I once again urge both chambers of Congress to act quickly and deliver this Assault Weapons Ban to my desk, and take action to keep American communities, schools, workplaces, and homes safe.

Watch: White House comments on Half Moon Bay shooting

Tuesday 24 January 2023 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Monterey Park gunman is oldest mass shooting suspect for over 50 years

Tuesday 24 January 2023 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The 72-year-old gunman who killed 11 people at a Monterey Park dance studio on Saturday is the oldest mass shooter in more than five decades, according to a non-profit that tracks gun violence.

Huu Can Tran has been identified by authorities as the sole suspect in the shooting in the majority Asian American suburb of Los Angeles that critically wounded several other victims and brought terror to Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations.

James Densley, president and co-founder of the Violence Project, which tracks shootings involving four or more victims, told The Independent that Tran was the oldest mass shooting suspect on their database, which dates back to 1966.

Bevan Hurley reports.

Monterey Park gunman is oldest mass shooting suspect for five decades

What happened in the Monterey Park shooting on Saturday?

Tuesday 24 January 2023 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The first of three mass shootings to strike California occurred on Saturday night as members of the city of Monterey Park’s Asian community gathered to mark the Lunar New Year at a ballroom dance studio.

Rachel Sharp and Graeme Massie report on what happened.

Monterey Park is the latest US community torn apart by mass shootings. What happened?

Three dead as gunman opens fire on Washington convenience store in yet another mass shooting

Tuesday 24 January 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Three people were killed in a “random” Washington state convenience store shooting and the suspect remains on the loose in the latest in a string of US shootings.

Graeme Massie has the latest.

Three killed in another mass shooting in a Washington convenience store

Who is suspect Chunli Zhao?

Tuesday 24 January 2023 18:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Little is yet known about suspected gunman Chunli Zhao.

The 67-year-old had worked for decades as a farmer at one of the two sites where the shooting unfolded.

San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President Dave Pine told local outlet KRON4 that Mr Zhao was a “disgruntled worker” at the farm but gave no further details.

The sheriff described the shooting as “horrific”, saying: “It’s a tragedy that we hear about far too often but today has hit home here in San Mateo County.”

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

Who is Chunli Zhao? Everything we know about the Half Moon Bay shooting suspect

Who are the victims at Half Moon Bay?

Tuesday 24 January 2023 17:50 , Oliver O'Connell

CBS News Bay Area reports that all of the shooting victims were adults, according to local authorities. Chillingly, children were present at the time of at least one of the shooting scenes.

Half Moon Bay Vice Mayor Joaquin Jimenez told reporters the victims included Chinese and Latino farmworkers. Two are believed to be Latino and six Asian.

The San Mateo County coroner's office has not yet provided any information regarding the identities of the people who lost their lives in the shooting.

One woman confirmed her partner had been killed.

Alie Ortega spoke with KPIX and said that her partner, Martin Martinez worked as a manager at one of the mushroom farms where the shooting took place. His coworker witnessed the incident.

In an update from authorities on Tuesday, police said that a victim who has hospitalised after the shooting is out of surgery and in a stable condition.

All evidence appears to point toward a “workplace violence incident”, police said.

Firearm at Half Moon Bay was legally obtained

Tuesday 24 January 2023 17:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Authorities in Half Moon Bay are giving an update on developments in the case.

They confirmed that the suspect was an employee of Mountain Mushroom Farm and that he obtained the semiautomatic handgun he used legally.

His arraignment is tomorrow in San Mateo County.

A victim who was hospitalised after the shooting is out of surgery and in a stable condition.

Recap: What we know about the Half Moon Bay shootings

Tuesday 24 January 2023 17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

California has now been left reeling from three mass shootings in as many days, after a “disgruntled” mushroom farm worker allegedly shot dead seven coworkers in a massacre in Half Moon Bay.

Chunli Zhao, who worked for decades at one of the two sites where the shooting unfolded, is accused of carrying out two separate shootings at two different agricultural businesses in the San Francisco area.

The suspect, 67, was arrested on Monday afternoon after he was spotted sitting in his car outside a local sheriff’s office.

Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the horror attack which has reignited calls for a crackdown on gun laws in the US where mass shootings and gun violence are increasingly commonplace.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp explains what we know so far about the shooting:

Everything we know about Half Moon Bay mass shooting that left seven dead

California rocked by third mass shooting in three days as one killed and seven injured in Oakland

Tuesday 24 January 2023 16:30 , Megan Sheets

California was rocked by its third mass shooting in as many days on Monday evening as one victim was killed and seven others injured in a shooting rampage at a gas station in Oakland.

The shooting unfolded just after 6pm at a gas station along Seminary Avenue and Macarthur Blvd, according to the Oakland Police Department (OPD).

Law enforcement responded to the scene after being notified to a shooting through ShotSpotter activity.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

California rocked by third mass shooting in days as 1 killed, 7 injured in Oakland

Possible motive emerges in Monterey Park shooting

Tuesday 24 January 2023 16:10 , Megan Sheets

As many details remain unclear in the Half Moon Bay shooting, more information continues to emerge about the earlier attack in Monterey Park.

Officials say the suspect in that shooting, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, had told the police earlier this month that his family had tried to poison him decades ago.

Hemet police spokesperson Alan Reyes said in a statement on Monday that Tran visited the Hemet Police Department lobby twice this month – on 7 January and then again on 9 January.

Tran had also made allegations of fraud and theft, apart from claiming that his family in the Los Angeles area had tried to poison him some 10-20 years ago.

The Independent’s Maroosha Muzaffar has more details:

Monterey Park killer thought his family tried to poison him decades ago