One day after meeting with victims’ families mourning a shooting rampage in Southern California, Gov. Gavin Newsom will travel to the Northern California community of Half Moon Bay, where two shootings left seven people dead.
The suspected shooter is in custody and will be arraigned Wednesday in connection with the attacks at plant nurseries 30 miles south of San Francisco. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said four people were found dead at the Mountain Mushroom Farm, where the suspect worked, and a fifth was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Three bodies were found at a second scene – a farm where the suspect used to work – a short time later.
The county coroner’s office was working to identify the victims, some of whom were migrants, and notify their next of kin.
The FBI said on Twitter that it was helping local law enforcement with the investigation.
All evidence points to the attack as an “instance of workplace violence,” Sheriff Christina Corpus said Tuesday. “Our hearts are broken, and we’re working together with the community to heal this tragic incident.”
Vice President Kamala Harris is also set to visit her home state in the wake of the two shootings, President Joe Biden said Tuesday as the White House advances its plans for legislation to ban assault weapons.
HALF MOON BAY SHOOTINGS:7 dead in two related incidents in California; suspect arrested
Grief counseling available for residents, San Mateo County official says
County officials worked to provide counseling for grieving residents, Ray Mueller of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors told USA TODAY. He said the diverse, agricultural community was already reeling from three weeks of storms and flooding.
TIMELINE:How the shootings in Half Moon Bay, California, unfolded
Mueller described the scene at the reunification center Monday as one of “shock and sadness,” but he praised residents for coming together to support the victims’ families.
“Late into the night, we had people coming, bringing blankets, supplies, and food,” he said. “The community is rallying around. The next thing we’re going to be doing is raising money for the lost wages for these families.”
Suspect to be arraigned Wednesday
Police will submit the case to the district attorney’s office for review Tuesday and the suspect will be arraigned Wednesday, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. The charges have not yet been determined.
Victims were Chinese, Latino farmworkers
The Sheriff’s Office first received reports of a shooting just before 2:30 p.m. Monday, authorities said.
Half Moon Bay Vice Mayor Joaquin Jimenez said the victims included Chinese and Latino farmworkers.
Some workers at one facility lived on the premises, and children may have witnessed the shooting, Corpus said. She said it wasn’t immediately clear how the two locations were connected.
Corpus said Tuesday that the victims included seven men and one woman. She said the coroner’s office is still working to identify the victims and notify their next of kin, a task that presents “unique challenges” because some of the victims are members of the migrant community.
The person in the hospital was in stable condition, Corpus said. The only known connection between the victims and the suspect is that they may have been co-workers, she said.
Suspect in custody, ‘no threat’ to community
A suspect, Chunli Zhao, 67, a resident of Half Moon Bay, was arrested without incident at his car in the parking lot of the Half Moon Bay Police Substation more than two hours after deputies arrived at the first shooting scene, Corpus said. A semi-automatic handgun was in his vehicle, according to Corpus. She said Tuesday the gun was legally purchased and owned.
Officials believe Zhao is a worker at one of the facilities, and the victims were workers as well. Some workers at one facility lived on the premises and children may have witnessed the shooting, Corpus said. The connection between the new facilities wasn’t clear.
Corpus said officials hadn’t determined a motive for the shooting, though county board of supervisors President Dave Pine described the suspect as a “disgruntled worker.”
HORROR AND HEROISM:In Monterey Park shooting, ballrooms became the scene of sudden horror, stunning heroism
Biden offers prayers, pushes for gun control legislation
President Joe Biden issued a statement saying he and his wife, Jill, were praying for the victims.
“For the second time in recent days, California communities are mourning the loss of loved ones in a senseless act of gun violence,” the statement said.
Biden said he met with his Homeland Security team and directed his administration to ensure local authorities and the broader Half Moon Bay community have full support of “in the wake of this heinous attack.”
Biden also lobbied for his latest gun control bill, noting that Sen. Barbara Feinstein, D-Calif., was among lawmakers who reintroduced a bill that would include 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,” the statement said. “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.”
VICTIMS REMEMBERED:Families remember those slain in Monterey Park mass shooting: ‘Our biggest cheerleader,’ the ‘life of any party’
Where is Half Moon Bay?
Half Moon Bay is a coastal community of about 12,000 people 30 miles south of San Francisco. The city becomes the site of the second mass shooting in California in two days, sitting almost 400 miles northwest of Monterey Park. Eleven people were killed in a shooting rampage at a dance studio there Saturday night; the suspected shooter was later found dead in a van.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; The Associated Press