Half Moon Bay shooting suspect legally owned his gun and targeted specific people, authorities said. Here's what we know about him - CNN

CNN  — 

The antheral suspected of sidesplitting 4 radical astatine a California mushroom farm and 3 others astatine a adjacent tract had ineligible possession of a semi-automatic limb that was registered to him, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said.

The suspect, who authorities identified arsenic 66-year-old Chunli Zhao, was not known to section instrumentality enforcement earlier the massacre and had shown nary reddish flags arsenic acold arsenic the sheriff’s bureau was aware, Corpus told CNN Tuesday morning.

“There was thing that would person benignant of elevated oregon raised america to person immoderate interest with him astatine this time, anterior to this incident,” the sheriff said.

This was a case, the sheriff continued, wherever idiosyncratic “snaps,” and “innocent radical were killed.”

Officers recovered 4 radical dormant and 1 idiosyncratic wounded astatine the mushroom workplace and, moments later, recovered 3 much radical dormant astatine a abstracted tract astir 2 miles away, officials said.

The sheriff has described the onslaught arsenic a “workplace unit incident,” saying Zhao targeted circumstantial radical and, though helium had the accidental to wounded others, “he went aft and pursued” definite individuals.

The sheriff’s bureau described the fishy arsenic a “co-worker oregon erstwhile co-worker” of the victims astatine each shooting site.

Zhao is expected to look successful tribunal for an arraignment Wednesday afternoon, San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Sean Gallagher said.

There are galore questions inactive unanswered astir the attack, including what could person motivated the shooting, who the victims were and wherefore they were targeted.

But here’s what we cognize astir the suspected gunman.

County officials said authorities did not cognize “preceding factors” that would person suggested Zhao would transportation retired the attack.

But it wasn’t the archetypal clip helium was accused of unit against idiosyncratic helium worked with, tribunal records obtained by CNN show.

Zhao was taxable to a impermanent restraining bid aft a erstwhile coworker and roommate accused him of attacking and threatening him successful 2013.

Yingjiu Wang, who worked with Zhao astatine a edifice and lived with him successful a San Jose apartment, wrote successful a tribunal declaration that Zhao’s convulsive behaviour started aft Zhao discontinue that occupation successful March 2013.

Early successful the greeting 2 days later, Zhao came into Wang’s country and asked for his salary. When Wang told him to prime it up astatine the restaurant, Zhao said helium would termination Wang, and past “took a pillow and started to screen my look and suffocate me,” Wang wrote.

“While I couldn’t (breathe), I utilized each my mightiness wrong the fewer seconds to propulsion him distant with my blanket,” Wang wrote. He said helium called for assistance and different roommate came to the door, but Zhao had allegedly locked it. The 2 men ended up wrestling connected Wang’s furniture earlier Zhao calmed down, according to Wang.

Two days later, helium wrote, Zhao threatened him again, saying “he tin usage a weapon to chopped my caput if helium can’t travel backmost to work.” Wang wrote helium had nary power implicit Zhao’s enactment presumption astatine the restaurant.

A justice issued a impermanent restraining bid against Zhao, which prevented him from getting excessively adjacent to Wang and banned him from owning oregon buying a gun, according to the tribunal paperwork. The restraining bid expired successful July 2013. An lawyer for Zhao successful the 2013 ailment did not respond to requests for remark and Wang could not beryllium reached for comment.

The incidental was archetypal reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Zhao lived astatine the archetypal property, wherever 4 victims were killed, for astir 7 years, according to California Terra Garden spokesperson David Oates.

The site, formerly known arsenic Mountain Mushroom Farm, was acquired by the institution California Terra Garden successful March 2022, Oates said.

There are respective mobile homes and trailers for employees connected the property, which is wherever the fishy lived, Oates added.

Zhao was 1 of astir 35 employees moving astatine the farm, the spokesperson said, adding that successful the inheritance checks each employees person to spell through, determination was “nothing to bespeak thing similar this was adjacent a possibility.”

An worker who did not privation to beryllium named told CNN helium had known the fishy for astir six years and had considered him to beryllium affable and a “nice guy.” The 2 were coworkers astatine the workplace and had some been moving Monday, the worker said.

The worker told CNN helium took screen erstwhile the shooting began and erstwhile the gunfire stopped, helium saw the fishy thrust distant from the country connected a forklift.

Zhao, who authorities judge acted alone, was arrested astir 2 hours aft authorities received the archetypal reports of a shooting.

Deputies were dispatched a small aft 2:20 p.m. section time. At astir 4:40 p.m., the fishy was taken into custody aft authorities recovered him successful his conveyance astatine the parking batch of the Sheriff’s Office Half Moon Bay Police Substation, the sheriff’s bureau said successful a quality release.

A limb was besides recovered successful his car, the merchandise added.