Half Moon Bay mass shooting updates: Workplace violence believed to be motive
A 67-year-old suspect is in custody, authorities said.
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.
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Semi-automatic handgun found in suspect's car: Sheriff
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said a semi-automatic handgun was found in the suspect's car.
The suspect, 67-year-old Chunli Zhao, is cooperating and being interviewed, the sheriff said.
Zhao is believed to have acted alone, Corpus said.
-ABC News' Marilyn Heck and Abigail Shalawylo
'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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Zhao was taken into custody without incident, the sheriff's office said, adding that he is believed to have acted alone.
A weapon was found in his vehicle, authorities said.
-ABC News' Alex Stone and Marilyn Heck
Biden calls for federal assault weapons ban after California mass shootings
President Joe Biden released a statement on Tuesday in the wake of the deadly mass shootings in Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park, California.
"Jill and I are praying for those killed and injured in the latest tragic shooting in Half Moon Bay, California," Biden said. "For the second time in recent days, California communities are mourning the loss of loved ones in a senseless act of gun violence."
"Following a briefing from my homeland security team, I have directed my administration to ensure local authorities and the broader Half Moon Bay community have the full support of the federal government in the wake of this heinous attack," the president added.
On Monday, two days after another deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park, Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., reintroduced a federal ban on assault weapons as well as legislation that would raise the minimum purchase age to 21. In his statement on Tuesday, Biden said that while “we await further details on these shootings, we know the scourge of gun violence across America requires stronger action.”
"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," the president said.