Half Moon Bay shooting eyewitness: Alleged gunman Chunli Zhao 'was laughing, he was smiling'
HALF MOON BAY -- It was hard for Erlin Ortiz and her sister, Miriam Ortiz, to believe the horror that was unfolding in front of their eyes.
The sisters pack mushrooms at the California Terra Gardens farm where alleged mass shooter Chunli Zhao is accused of killing four people.
They were sitting in their car after their shift when they saw Zhao, who was about 40 feet away, pull a gun from a backpack, shout something in Mandarin to a fellow Chinese farmworker and then shoot the man, they told the Bay Area News Group.
Zhao then shot a second worker, and gunned down the first worker who had gotten to his feet and tried to run away, Erlin Ortiz said.
"He was super red and very angry," she said of Zhao.
Shocked and horrified, Miriam Ortiz's husband, who was behind the wheel, started the car and prepared to drive away.
Zhao turned to look at them, then hopped onto a forklift and headed toward an encampment on the farm where he and the sisters lived. His demeanor had changed, they said.
"He was laughing, he was smiling," Erlin Ortiz said. "We saw him get on the forklift, and when he turned to see us, he was making fun of the situation."
Erlin Ortiz said Zhao, who grew onions for himself and his wife in a little garden plot, would wave and greet them but always seemed serious.
In a jailhouse interview Thursday, 66-year-old Chunli Zhao told a Bay Area NBC news reporter he wasn't in his right mind when he walked into the Half Moon Bay mushroom farm where he worked Monday as be began his killing spree.
Zhao told the television station he had been bullied worked long hours at the farms and his complaints were ignored.
A spokesperson for California Terra Garden confirmed Zhao lived on the property with his wife, but said the farm had no knowledge of any bullying complaints.
Zhao spoke in Mandarin with the television station reporter during a 15-minute interview at a county jail in Redwood City. Zhao said he has been in the U.S. for 11 years and has a green card. He said he has a 40-year-old daughter in China and lived with his wife in Half Moon Bay.
Zhao told the station he bought the gun used in the killings in 2021 and didn't run into any obstacles when making the purchase. He was planning to turn himself in to authorities when he was spotted by deputies who arrested him Monday.
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Chunli, 66, made his first court appearance Wednesday. He is charged with seven counts of murder and one of attempted murder. The enhancements to the charges make him eligible for the death sentence or life in prison without parole.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, who handled Wednesday's hearing personally, said the Half Moon Bay mass shooting was the largest in San Mateo County's history. As for the shooting investigation, there were several new pieces of information passed along.
"There was a note inside the car," Wagstaffe said. "We're not revealing that at this point. "The question was whether there is any evidence of a copycat of Monterey Park. We believe the answer is no. Not just simply we're not sure. We believe the answer is no.."
Wagstaffe went on to say his office believes that they know a motive in the shooting, but he wouldn't divulge that, saying the focus now is on the prosecution and keeping the details out of the public eye to ensure a fair trial.
HOW TO HELP:
The Farmworker Caravan, an organization that has been conducting a relief drive to provide support for farm workers impacted by recent flooding and the Half Moon Bay mass shooting, is asking for donations and volunteers to help with their efforts. More information and a sign-up page are available online here.
For more information on how to help the Half Moon Bay farming community, visit ALAS (Ayudando a Latinos a Soñar) at their website alasdreams.com.
