On January 23, 2023, a mass shooting at two agricultural sites in Half Moon Bay, California — California Terra Garden (formerly Mountain Mushroom Farm) and Concord Farms — left seven people dead, including 74-year-old Aixiang Zhang. The other victims were identified as Yetao Bing, 43; Qizhong Cheng, 66; Zhishen Liu, 73; Jingzhi Lu, 64; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50; and Jose Romero Perez, 38. A 23-year-old, Pedro Felix Romero Perez, was critically injured with multiple gunshot wounds.

The suspect, 66-year-old employee Chunli Zhao, who had worked at both sites, was found in his vehicle at a San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office substation and taken into custody. Investigators reported a dispute over a $100 repair bill for damaged equipment as a possible contributing factor. Zhao was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and one count of attempted first-degree murder; the trial date was moved to April 29, 2025 after defense requests for more time.

The case prompted scrutiny of workplace conditions: subsequent investigations recovered over $450,000 in back wages and damages for workers at the two farms, and the owners of California Terra Gardens and Concord Farms were assessed $70,000 in civil penalties for illegal payroll deductions and substandard housing. Does anyone have information about the victims’ work or living conditions that could shed more light on what led up to that day?