Half Moon Bay shooting suspect had history of making threats to coworkers, court documents reveal

Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect Chunli Zhao had a restraining order filed against him by a former roommate and coworker.

Dan Noyes Image
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
HMB shooting suspect had history of threatening coworkers: court docs
Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect Chunli Zhao had a restraining order against him from a former roommate and coworker, according to court docs.

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (KGO) -- The man arrested for fatally shooting seven people at two farms in Half Moon Bay on Monday has a history of threatening coworkers, according to court documents obtained by the ABC7 News I-Team.

RELATED: What we know about Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect Chunli Zhao

In 2013, Chunli Zhao had a restraining order filed against him by a former roommate and coworker. They both worked at a restaurant when Zhao reportedly lost his job, the documents say.

According to the documents, the roommate says Zhao threatened that if he didn't get his job back, he would kill him. Zhao, at one point, even held a pillow over his face, reportedly trying to suffocate him.

The documents also note he said, "he wants to come back to work. If this can't be done, this will be a bigger problem which will not be good, pleasant for anyone."

EXCLUSIVE: Video shows police takedown of Half Moon Bay shootings suspect

Video shows the moment police arrested the suspect who allegedly fatally shot seven people in Half Moon Bay on Monday.

The roommate said he threatened to use a knife to cut his head if he couldn't come back to work and had no other choice.

The sheriff's office was unable to serve Zhao with the court papers - he never showed up to hearings.

The restraining order was granted by a judge and extended a second time.

Get the latest on the deadly Half Moon Bay shootings here.

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