7 people killed in related shootings south of San Francisco

7 people killed in related shootings south of San Francisco

Seven 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 a suspect was in custody, officials said.

Four people were killed at the farm and three at the trucking business on the outskirts of Half Moon Bay, a city about 48 kilometres south of San Francisco, according to San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President Dave Pine. 

The police have arrested 67-year-old Zhao Chunli in connection with the shooting, Pine said.

It wasn't immediately clear how the locations were connected, though Pine said the suspect worked for one of the businesses. He called the suspect a "disgruntled worker."

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office first received reports of a shooting just before 2:30 p.m. local time and found four people dead from gunshot wounds and a fifth injured person at the first scene. Shortly thereafter, officers found three more people dead from gunshot wounds at a second location about eight kilometres away, Capt. Eamonn Allen said in a news release.

Police officers seen by the light of their police cars in the dark, the word
Law enforcement personnel control the scene of a shooting Monday in Half Moon Bay, Calif. (Jeff Chiu/The Associated Press)

The sheriff's office did not share any information about the connection between the two locations.

According to Allen, the motive for the shooting is not known.

About two hours after first responding, a sheriff's deputy found the suspect, Zhao, in his car at a sheriff's station in Half Moon Bay. He was taken into custody and a weapon was found in his vehicle. The sheriff's department believes he acted alone, Allen said.

Shootings rock 'close-knit' agricultural community

California Sen. Josh Becker, who represents the area, said people were killed in separate shootings. San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa tweeted that one shooting happened at a mushroom farm.

"We're still trying to understand exactly what happened and why, but it's just incredibly, incredibly tragic," said Becker, who called the area "a very close-knit" agricultural community.

Television footage from the area showed officers taking a man into custody without incident.

Aerial television images also showed police officers collecting evidence from a farm with dozens of greenhouses.

The shooting followed the killing of 11 people at a ballroom dance hall in Southern California late Saturday.

"We are sickened by today's tragedy in Half Moon Bay," Pine said in a statement. "We have not even had time to grieve for those lost in the terrible shooting in Monterey Park. Gun violence must stop."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted 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."