After confronting his supervisor and a co-worker who Zhao believed were responsible for the collision between his forklift and a bulldozer, he shot them dead, according to reports confirmed by Wagstaffe.
Zhao admitted in an interview with local media that he carried out the attacks and regretted them. He used a legally purchased Ruger semi-automatic handgun during the shooting, according to authorities.
The Half Moon Bay shooting drew attention to the poor working conditions of farm workers in the area.
The Washington Post reported that workers live in trailers or converted shipping containers, without access to indoor kitchens or toilets. It has had a series of problems over the past two years, including a previous shooting, a fire and a coronavirus outbreak.
Zhao felt harassed for years at the California Terra Garden farm, he said in Mandarin in a prison interview last week with KNTV reporter Janelle Wang. He worked long hours, Wang said, and when he voiced complaints to his supervisor, he often felt ignored. Prosecutors said Zhao previously worked at Concord Farms, the second location he targeted.
Wang said Zhao thought he had a mental illness and should see a doctor.
Zhao has shown anger in the workplace before. In 2013, he was accused of threatening a colleague and separately trying to choke him, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing court documents.
Zhao, a Chinese national, said in an interview with KNTV that he is a green card holder who has lived in the United States for 11 years. The farm employs mostly Chinese and Latin American workers, a local official said.
Zhao is charged with seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. If convicted on all charges, Zhao could face life in prison or the death penalty, Wagstaffe told reporters Wednesday outside a court in Redwood City, California.
The shooting victims are Zhishen Liu, 73; Qizhong Cheng, 66; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50; Yetao Bing, 43; Aixiang Zhang, 74; Jingzhi Lu, 64; Office.
The attempted murder charge against Jao is for the case of Pedro Romero Perez, the person who was shot and wounded.