7 dead in a second California mass shooting, suspect another elderly Asian male

A suspect is in police custody after the second mass shooting incident to take place in California in three days, leaving seven dead after they were gunned down by a man who is being described as a “disgruntled worker” who went on a rampage at two nurseries in the city of Half Moon Bay on Monday afternoon.

Following his killing spree in which some of the victims were shot in front of terrified children, the suspect who is identified as 67-year-old Chunli Zhao was arrested “without incident” after he was found sitting in his car outside of a San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office substation. The horrific bloodshed comes as Golden State residents are still reeling from the Saturday bloodbath at a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park.

The tragedy unfolded shortly after 2 p.m. in the community of around 11,000 residents that lies about 25 miles south of San Francisco when deputies responded to the two shootings, one of which took place at a mushroom farm and another at a trucking facility that was approximately 2 miles from the farm.

“Today, at 2:22 pm, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the 12700 block of San Mateo Road (SR-92) in unincorporated San Mateo County on a report of a shooting with multiple victims,” the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

(Video: YouTube/KCRA)

“Upon arrival deputies located four (4) victims deceased with gunshot wounds. A fifth victim, also suffering from gunshot wounds, was transported to Stanford Medical Center with life threatening injuries. The suspect was not immediately located. Shortly thereafter, three (3) additional victims were also located, deceased with gunshot wounds at a separate shooting scene in the 2100 block of Cabrillo Highway South. The motive for the shooting is currently unknown,” the statement read.

“This kind of shooting is horrific,” said San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus during Monday’s news conference. “It’s a tragedy that we hear about far too often but today has hit home here in San Mateo County.”

“For children to witness this is unspeakable,” Corpus said of the shootings which took place at locations where some of the victims lived with their families. “This is a devastating tragedy for this community and the many families touched by this unspeakable act of violence.”

Dramatic footage has been posted of police pulling the suspect from his vehicle and making the arrest.

(Video: The Daily Mail)

San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President Dave Pine called the suspect a “disgruntled worker” who was employed at one of the businesses.

(Image: Screengrab/The Daily Mail)

“We are sickened by today’s tragedy in Half Moon Bay. The scourge of gun violence has sadly hit home. We have not even had time to grieve for those lost in the terrible shooting in Monterey Park,” Pine said in a statement. “Gun violence must stop. The State of California has among the strictest gun laws in the United States, which we have strengthened through local action here, but more must be done. The status quo cannot be tolerated.”

“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,” tweeted California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday night. “Tragedy upon tragedy.”

Gov. Newsom, whose name is increasingly coming up as a 2024 Democrat alternative to President Joe Biden if chooses not to run for re-election, condemned the Second Amendment as a “suicide pact” in the aftermath of the Monterrey Park massacre.

“Nothing about this is surprising. Everything about this is infuriating,” Newsom told CBS Evening News. “The Second Amendment is becoming a suicide pact.”

Newsom’s fellow Democrats quickly moved to exploit the tragedy for political advantage and to push their agenda to disarm law-abiding Americans.

“A mass shooting has now hit my beloved community of Half Moon Bay, one of the last places one would expect such a abominable act. We celebrate pumpkin festivals and holiday parades there. When will Congress have the guts to really DO something about gun violence?” Rep. Jackie Speier wrote on Twitter on Monday night.

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Chris Donaldson

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