Chun-Li Chao, the defendant in the Half Moon Bay mass shooting that killed seven people and injured one, admitted Thursday that he committed the fatal shooting in an interview with NBC Bay Area reporter Jenny Wang’s prison.
Zhao, who spoke with Wang in Mandarin for about 15 minutes at the San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City, also said he drove to the sheriff’s precinct after the shooting and surrendered himself.
Zhao said he endured years of bullying, combined with long hours on the farm, and the issues were never resolved. Wang said he also said he believed he was suffering from some kind of mental illness and was out of his mind on the day of the shooting.
Zhao told Wang that he had been in the US for 11 years and had a green card. He purchased a murder gun in 2021 and encountered no obstacles in his purchase.
Wang said he also expressed remorse for the killing.
Zhao said he lives in Half Moon Bay with a wife and a 40-year-old daughter who lives in China.
Watch more in Wang’s video report above.
Six of the seven people killed in Monday’s mass shooting in Half Moon Bay were identified Wednesday as families grieved the loss. Bob Raeder reports.
Senator after mass shootings in Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park. Alex Padilla leads a group of Democratic senators calling for stricter gun laws. Bob Raeder reports.