7 people killed in Half Moon Bay shooting
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. – Seven people were shot and killed Monday off Highway 92 in Half Moon Bay, according to authorities and news reports.
The shooting was reported around 2:20 p.m. at Mountain Mushroom Farm at 12761 San Mateo Road. The suspect was in custody, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said in tweet around 4:50 p.m.
“There is no ongoing threat to the community at this time,” the sheriff’s office said.
The Associated Press, citing information from San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine, reported four people were killed at the farm and three at a nearby trucking business.
Kati McHugh, who described herself as a member of the local agricultural community, said she was at the Half Moon Bay sheriff’s substation for a news conference on the shooting when the suspect arrived and was quickly taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies.
“I was surprised to see (the suspect) here and of course hopeful that he came to turn himself in,” McHugh said. “It was shocking and I was very impressed with the way the officers took care of the takedown. It wasn’t in any way adding energy to the situation so it was very well handled.”
“He was quiet,” McHugh said about the suspect. “He didn’t react much when he was taken down and it all happened pretty calmly.
The mass shooting follows one Saturday in Monterey Park that left 11 people dead.
“First Monterey Park and now Half Moon Bay. Enough is enough. How many more must die?” San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa said in a statement. “Although the details are sparse, one thing is true. The victims died from guns. My heart breaks for the families.”
Canepa said the county has pledged $2 million over the next two years to launch a gun violence prevention program. The program, he added, aims to improve public safety by “boosting efforts to remove guns from the hands of felons, stalkers and other people prohibited from firearm possession.”
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo said she was also monitoring the situation in Half Moon Bay.
“My gratitude to the San Mateo Sheriff’s Office who took the suspect into custody and are working the two scenes of the murders,” Eshoo said in a statement. “Half Moon Bay is a beloved and tight-knit community, and we all stand with them and the families of the victims during this dark hour.”
The Bay Area has seen a string of mass shootings in recent years, including its deadliest in May 2021, when a disgruntled mechanic killed nine people and himself near a light rail yard and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office in San Jose.
Monday’s shooting prompted closures on Highway 92. In a social media post, the Pacifica Police Department said coastal traffic was being directed through the city.