What we know about the Half Moon Bay shooting that claimed seven victims

Gunshots rang out Monday afternoon in the farms that dot San Mateo County’s coastal hills in and around Half Moon Bay.

When it was over, seven people were dead at several agricultural sites. The suspected gunman was then found parked next to a sheriff’s office branch, where he was taken into custody. It came two days after the Monterey Park mass shooting and less than two weeks after the Goshen, California shooting that killed six people.

Here’s what we know:

Where were the shootings?

• The violence occurred on two farms about a mile apart.

• Authorities found the first four victims shot dead in the 12700 block of San Mateo Road in an unincorporated area just before 2:30 p.m. A fifth victim was also found in the area and taken to Stanford Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
• Minutes later, in an area about a mile away on the 2100 block of Cabrillo Highway, deputies found three other victims with apparent gunshot wounds.
• San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said some of the victims were killed in front of children who lived nearby and were recently released from school. “It’s unspeakable for children to witness this,” she said.

What do we know about the shooter?

• He was identified as Chunli Zhao and authorities said he was an employee at one of the farms. He is believed to be a resident of Half Moon Bay.

• He was seen sitting in his car at the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office substation in Half Moon Bay around 4:40 p.m., officials said. ABC 7 video showed MPs taking down a man in the parking lot. The man wore a white cap, vest and red long-sleeved shirt.
• Authorities said they are still trying to determine a motive.

What about the victims?

• The names of those shot were not published. They are believed to be laborers on the farms.
• A reunification center was set up for farm workers displaced by the shootings. San Mateo County Superintendent Ray Mueller was at the center Monday night to speak with displaced farm workers and the victims’ families. He said a family found out before his eyes that their relative had died in the shooting. He estimated that around 30 to 40 people were with him at 7:30 p.m