'Unspeakable': 7 killed in shootings near Half Moon Bay

Police investigate the scene of a mass shooting off Cabrillo Highway in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group via AP)

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	San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus speaks at a news conference following a shooting Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Multiple people were killed in two related shootings Monday at a mushroom farm and a trucking firm in a coastal community south of San Francisco, and officials say a suspect is in custody. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
	'Unspeakable': 7 killed in shootings near Half Moon Bay Gabe Lehman, Kimberly Alters sfgate.com HALF MOON BAY, CA - Seven people are dead following two linked shootings in the Northern California city of Half Moon Bay, officials said. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office tweeted at 3:48 p.m. Monday that they were responding to a shooting “with multiple victims in the area of HWY 92 and the HMB City limits.” The office tweeted roughly an hour later that a suspect was in custody and there "is no ongoing threat to the community at this time." San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus confirmed at a press conference Monday evening that seven people were killed in two related shootings. She said four victims were found dead from gunshot wounds at a location in the 12700 block of San Mateo Road, also known as Highway 92, around 2:30 p.m. A fifth victim was discovered with "life-threatening injuries" and transported to Stanford Medical Center. They remain there in critical condition. "The suspect was not immediately located" at the first scene, Corpus said. Investigators then found three more victims at a "separate shooting scene" on the 2100 block of Cabrillo Highway South, also known as Highway 1. Authorities are still trying to determine a connection between the two locations, which Corpus said were both farm nurseries. Around 4:40 p.m., the suspect, identified as 67-year-old Chunli Zhao, was found in the parking lot of the sheriff's office substation in Half Moon Bay, Corpus said, and taken into custody there. Corpus said Zhao is a Half Moon Bay resident and "believed to be a worker," but said detectives were still determining a motive. Corpus said the suspect was cooperating with the investigation. San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa told NBC Bay Area, which first reported the story, that the victims were Chinese farm workers. San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller said children were present at the scenes and possibly witnessed the shootings. "For children to witness this is unspeakable," Corpus added. The victims' identities have not been released pending notifications to next of kin. The shooting comes just two days after a mass shooting in the Los Angeles area, where 11 people died after a gunman opened fire at a dance studio in Monterey Park. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Twitter that he was "at the hospital meeting with victims" of the Monterey Park shooting when he learned about the killings in Half Moon Bay. Rep. Anna Eshoo, who represents the Half Moon Bay area in Congress, called the shooting an "unfolding tragedy" and added, "Half Moon Bay is a beloved and tight-knit community, and we all stand with them and the families of the victims during this dark hour." This breaking news story has been updated.