At least seven people died and one was seriously injured in two shootings in Half Moon Bay, a city of just over 11,000 inhabitants located 19 kilometers south of San Francisco (California, United States).
The suspect, a 67-year-old man, turned himself in to authorities shortly after the attacks, as confirmed by San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus. Authorities found four fatalities near the mushroom farm and another three in a nearby area. The eighth victim, who is seriously injured, was taken to an area hospital, Corpus reported.
The alleged perpetrator of the attacks, identified as Zhao Chunli, he drove to the parking lot of one of the sheriff’s offices in Half Bay. Three police officers approached the car, raising their weapons, the man got out of the car and was immediately arrested, as seen in a video shared by local media.
According to authorities, among the victims of the attack workers of a mushroom farm meet and a greenhouse, located near the scene, as confirmed by Corpus. The sheriff also said Chulin, the shooter, is believed to have worked on the farm.
Minors witnessed the attack, since several families live on the farm, the authorities detailed at the press conference. “It happened in the afternoon, when the children had already left work. That children had to witness this is ineffable,” Corpus told reporters.
Until now, a motive for the shootings is not known, but the authorities assured that the attacker acted alone. Inside his car they found a semi-automatic pistol. The president of the United States, Joe Biden, was informed on Monday night of the attack and asked the federal authorities to support the local police, as reported by the White House spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, on her Twitter account.
The FBI already confirmed that he is assisting local authorities with “forensic and investigative resources“, according to the Twitter account of the government agency. California Governor Gavin Newsom referred to the events on Monday as “one tragedy upon another.”
“While I was in a hospital meeting with the victims of a mass shooting, they call me to inform me about another one,” the Democratic politician wrote on his Twitter account. For his part, San Mateo County Council President David Pine stressed that violence by firearms in the US has reached “unacceptable levels”.
“There are a lot of guns in this country and that has to change,” sentenced Pine in a press conference with the county sheriff. Authorities reported around 3:48 p.m. California time (2200 GMT) that they were responding to a mass shooting and asked residents to take cover.
The Half Boon Bay attack comes as the state of California begins to recover from another mass shooting that took place Saturday night in the city of Monterrey Park (15 kilometers east of Los Angeles).
In this attack, during the Chinese New Year celebration, where thousands of people were gathered in a mostly Asian city, 11 people were killed by a 72-year-old man.
The so-called “Golden State” is one of the most restrictive in the sale and use of weapons. To buy a gun you need to be 21 years old; pass a shooting test; provide identification; and file an application with the Department of Justice.
Source: Lasexta
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