:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/23PN66B4TNHVLGGTIH6CABLEFQ.jpg "Half Moon Bay shooting: California farm shooting suspect could face death penalty")
The suspect of murdering seven peasants and wounding another in California he could face the death penalty if convicted of multiple homicide, a prosecutor said Wednesday when the man first appeared in court.
zhao chunli66, was arrested Monday in Half Moon Baya community south of San Franciscoshortly after opening fire on two farms in the area.
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Five men and two women died in the shootings.
Zhao arrived at the court handcuffed and wearing the orange uniform of the prison system.
The man must face seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, aggravated by carrying a firearm and multiple homicide.
A Mandarin translator participated in the hearing, which was postponed at the request of Zhao’s defense.
The suspect must return to court on February 16 to be formally charged, by decision of the judge Susan Jakubowskiwho also ordered to keep him in custody and without the right to bail.
Three Mexicans among the victims
San Mateo County District Attorney, stephen wagstaffetold local media that due to the aggravating circumstances he could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.
“This decision will be made later after the investigation is over and we know as much as possible about Mr. Zhao.Wagstaffe told the San Francisco Chronicle.
San Mateo County Sheriff, Christina Corpussaid Tuesday that the suspect appeared to know his victims.
“All indications point to a case of violence in the workplace.Corpus said.
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Zhao is a Chinese national who has lived in the region for at least a decade, including seven years at a mushroom farm where the attack began, the San Jose Mercury reported.
Captain eamon allen told the newspaper that the sheriff’s office was working to provide support to the suspect’s wife.
“They lived together on the property, so there is great concern of retaliation or backlash against her.Allen said.
Information from the justice system and the forensic service reveal that five of the deceased had Chinese names.
Chinese consular offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles have not yet responded to AFP.
The Mexican consulate in San Francisco confirmed that two of the fatalities were Mexican. The diplomatic representation informed AFP that a third Mexican was injured and is receiving medical attention at a hospital in the city of Palo Alto.
Visit of the Vice President
The Half Moon Bay attacks came less than two days after a shooting Saturday in Monterey Park, a few miles from Los Angeles, where a man of Asian origin killed 11 people in a nightclub. The attacker committed suicide on Sunday as police surrounded him.
Both attackers are believed to have used semi-automatic weapons.
The Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harrisvisits Monterey Park this Wednesday, where he must meet the relatives of some of the victims, his office reported.
The two episodes stumped California’s large Asian-American community.
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They also reignited social outrage over the permissive attitude on firearms control in the United States, with the governor of California, Gavin Newsomat the head questioning the paralysis of the federal sphere.
“What the hell is wrong with us, that we allow these weapons of war and high-capacity chargers on the streets and sidewalks?he said Tuesday in Half Moon Bay.
“Only in the United States. Number one in possession of weapons. Number one in gun deaths. It’s not even complicated”, he added.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
