Half Moon Bay mass shooting updates: Workplace violence believed to be motive

A 67-year-old suspect is in custody, authorities said.

ByMelissa Gaffney, Kevin Shalvey, Morgan Winsor, and Emily Shapiro
Last Updated: January 24, 2023, 10:36 PM EST

Seven people were killed on Monday in a mass shooting at two locations in Half Moon Bay, California, authorities said.

One person was also taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

The suspect, 67-year-old Chunli Zhao, is in custody. Workplace violence is believed to be the motive, authorities said.

This is the state's second mass shooting in three days.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jan 23, 2023, 10:53 PM EST

'Our hearts are broken': San Mateo County official

The gun violence in the U.S. is at "completely unacceptable levels," and it "really hit home tonight," San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President Dave Pine said Monday. "Our hearts are broken."

"But in the end, there are simply too many guns in this country," Pine said. "And there has to be a change. This is not an acceptable way for modern society to live its conduct its affairs."

-ABC News' Marilyn Heck and Abigail Shalawylo

Jan 23, 2023, 10:37 PM EST

Shooting took place at 2 separate nurseries, victims thought to be workers: Sheriff

San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said the department was dispatched at 2:22 p.m. local time with reports of a shooting in unincorporated San Mateo County with multiple victims.

At the first location, four people were found dead with gunshot wounds and a fifth person was taken to the hospital and is in critical condition, Corpus said during a press briefing Monday.

A Highway Patrol car is seen at the scene of a shooting at Cabrillo Highway in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Jan. 23, 2023.
Susana Bates/AFP via Getty Images

Shortly afterward, three additional victims were found dead at a separate location about a mile away, the sheriff said.

Both locations are nurseries, large rural properties, and some people live on site; children witnessed the shooting, Corpus said. The victims are thought to be workers.

PHOTO: Police tape is placed near the scene of a shooting, Jan. 23, 2023, in Half Moon Bay, Calif.
Police tape is placed near the scene of a shooting, 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.
Jeff Chiu/AP

The suspect is thought to be a farm worker, Corpus said.

The motive and the relationship between the victims and the suspect are unknown at this time. The suspect is cooperating and being interviewed, Corpus said.

-ABC News' Marilyn Heck

Jan 23, 2023, 10:11 PM EST

San Mateo County Sheriff's Office identifies suspect

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office has identified the suspect as 67-year-old Half Moon Bay resident Chunli Zhao.

This undated photo provided by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department shows Chunli Zhao.
San Mateo Sheriffs Department via AP

The sheriff's office located his vehicle at 4:40 p.m. local time in the parking lot of the Sheriff’s Office Half Moon Bay Police Substation, the department said in a press release.

A suspect, Chunli Zhao, is arrested by law enforcement personnel after a mass shooting at two locations in the coastal northern California city of Half Moon Bay, California, Jan. 23, 2023 in a still image from video.
ABC News Affiliate KGO via Reuters

Zhao was taken into custody without incident, the sheriff's office said, adding that he is believed to have acted alone.

Police officers detain a man, believed by law enforcement to be the Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect, in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Jan. 23, 2023, in this screengrab taken from a social media video.
Kati McHugh via Reuters

A weapon was found in his vehicle, authorities said.

-ABC News' Alex Stone and Marilyn Heck

Jan 23, 2023, 9:35 PM EST

Biden has been briefed on San Mateo County shooting, White House says

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the mass shooting in San Mateo County, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted Monday night.

"He has asked federal law enforcement to provide any necessary assistance to the local authorities. As more details become available, the President will be updated," she wrote.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle