US: 7 dead, 1 critically injured in California shootings; suspect nabbed

According to reports, at least seven people were murdered and one seriously injured after gunfire were reported from two sites in the Half Moon Bay area of northern California, the United States. A 67-year-old suspect is currently in custody, according to local police.

According to CNN, one gunshot occurred at a mushroom farm and another near a trucking plant about two miles from the farm, according to San Mateo Board of Supervisors President Dave Pine. Meanwhile, two kids were slain in a targeted shooting at a charter school in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday afternoon, according to the US-based daily magazine The Hill.

The two victims, described as adolescent pupils, were rushed to the hospital in a ‘serious’ state, where they died from their injuries.
Earlier in the day, a shooter killed 11 people at a famous dance class in Monterey Park, California.

Meanwhile, in response to the shootings in Half Mon Bay, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus stated during a press conference that deputies discovered one person dead and another injured at the initial location, and that three additional individuals were discovered dead at a different place shortly after.

The incident was characterised as “horrific” by the Sheriff, who said that the suspect, who was found in his vehicle in the parking lot of a substation in Half Moon Bay, was apprehended and a semi-automatic weapon was discovered in his vehicle.

“It’s a tragedy that we hear about far too often but today has hit home here in San Mateo County,” CNN quoted the Sheriff.

Dave Pine in a statement released on the County of San Mateo website said, “We are sickened by today’s tragedy in Half Moon Bay. The scourge of gun violence has sadly hit home. We have not even had time to grieve for those lost in the terrible shooting in Monterey Park. Gun violence must stop.”

The San Mateo Board of Supervisors President further said, “The State of California has among the strictest gun laws in the United States, which we have strengthened through local action here, but more must be done. The status quo cannot be tolerated.”