Arraignment for Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect Chunli Zhao delayed; cameras not allowed in courtroom
Suspected Half Moon Bay mass shooting gunman Chunli Zhao was back in a San Mateo County courtroom Tuesday, where a judge granted requests to prevent cameras from being present.
The judge also granted a defense motion to keep cameras out of the courtroom Tuesday. Zhao's court appearance came exactly one year after the mass shooting at two Half Moon Bay mushroom farms where the 66-year-old gunman went on a killing spree, shooting six men and two women.
Five of the men and both women died, but the sixth male victim survived the shooting, which authorities later linked to a workplace argument for a bill connected to an accident on the farm.
District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe's office announced Monday that the county's criminal grand jury charged Zhao on seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Zhao is also charged with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murder.
Zhao had previously pled not guilty to the charges. He remains in custody on a no-bail status.
Community groups will honor the victims during a memorial in Half Moon Bay later Tuesday. Activists will also hold a roundtable discussion to talk about the issues farmworkers face, especially affordable housing.
The deadly shooting revealed the difficult living conditions for families who work in the farming communities on the Peninsula. The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved $1 million in funding to go towards providing better housing for farm workers.