Half Moon Bay shootings suspect employed at mushroom farms cited to have serious health and safety violations.
Chunli Zhao is accused of shooting four people at a mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay where he worked and killing three more at a nearby farm, authorities said (Source: CNN News).
Mushroom Farms in Half Moon Bay
In a recent news release, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health disclosed that two mushroom farms, where the suspect in the Half Moon Bay mass shooting had been employed, were found to have committed “serious” health and safety violations during an investigation prompted by the workplace attacks in January.
The suspect, Chunli Zhao, a 66-year-old Chinese citizen, allegedly carried out shootings at two separate farms, resulting in the deaths of four individuals at one farm and three at another, with five others injured.
Zhao has asserted his innocence by pleading not guilty to seven murder charges and one attempted murder charge.
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Mushroom Farms in Half Moon Bay committed workplace safety violations (Source: CNN News).
Mushroom Farms Workplace Safety Violations
According to the release, California Terra Garden Inc., the farm where Zhao worked during the initial shooting, received citations for a total of 22 violations, including five categorized as serious.
One of these serious violations was related to a failure to have a plan or procedures in place to promptly alert employees about an active shooter threat and instruct them to seek shelter.
The release also stated that Cal/OSHA proposed penalties amounting to around $114,000, according to Albany Herald.
The origin of the shootings, as indicated by San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, may have been a $100 dispute regarding the repair cost of a farm equipment piece involved in an accident at California Terra Garden, according to CNN News.
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