‘Tragedy Upon Tragedy’: California Faces 3rd Mass Shooting in 8 Days
On Monday, a gunman shot and killed seven people at two agricultural businesses in Half Moon Bay, California, making it the third mass shooting in the state in eight days.
The suspect, 67-year-old Chunli Zhao, opened fire at a farm and then a second location several miles away, killing seven and injuring one.
Zhao has been arrested by police. According to San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus, authorities took him into custody after finding him inside his car in the parking lot of a sheriff’s substation in a strip mall. At the time of this reporting, the motive for the shooting is unclear.
Monday’s shooting comes two days after another shooting that left 10 people at a ballroom dance studio in Monterrey dead.
“For the second time in recent days, California communities are mourning the loss of loved ones in a senseless act of gun violence,” President Joe Biden said in a statement on Tuesday morning. “Even as we await further details on these shootings, we know the scourge of gun violence across America requires stronger action.”
Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom shared that he was “at the hospital meeting with victims of a mass shooting when I get pulled away to be briefed about another shooting. This time in Half Moon Bay. Tragedy upon tragedy.”
As reported by the Associated Press, Half Moon Bay Vice Mayor Joaquin Jimenez noted that the victims were all Chinese and Latino farmworkers. She added that some workers lived at one of the facilities and that children likely witnessed the shooting.
Officials noted that Zhao worked at one of the facilities and acted alone.
Kati McHugh, a Half Moon Bay resident, filmed the moment Zhao was taken into custody. Officials say that a weapon was found in his vehicle.
“We’re still trying to understand exactly what happened and why, but it’s just incredibly, incredibly tragic,” said Senator Josh Becker, who represents the area.
According to a database compiled by the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, there have been three mass shootings in California since Jan. 16, when six people, including a teenage mother and her baby, were killed outside a home in Central California.
Overall, 39 people have been killed in six mass shootings across the U.S. in 2023 so far.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Justin Sullivan/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
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