The San Mateo County coroner has identified six of the seven victims killed in Monday’s shootings in Half Moon Bay, California.
The victims are identified as Zhishen Liu, 73, of San Francisco; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, of Moss Beach; Qizhong Cheng, 66, of Half Moon Bay; Aixiang Zhang, 74, of San Francisco; Jingzhi Lu, 64, of Half Moon Bay; and Yetao Bing, 43, whose residence was unknown.
Jose Romero, a Mexican national, was reported among the dead by Reuters, which spoke to his cousin, Jose Juarez. His younger brother, Pedro, was also shot and is hospitalized, according to the report.
“The seventh victim has been tentatively identified; however, we are withholding the name pending positive identification and next of kin notification,” Coroner Robert J. Foucrault said.
The coroner’s office has been working closely with the Mexican and Chinese consulates, as well as the FBI, to find ways to positively identify the victims and locate and notify next of kin, Foucrault said.
At a news conference Tuesday, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said that the “only known connection between the victims and the suspect is that they may have been co-workers,” and that evidence collected so far indicates the shooting was likely an act of workplace violence.
Corpus also discussed some of the difficulties authorities encountered with identifying the victims.
“As some of the victims were members of our migrant community, this represents a unique challenge when it comes to identification and notifications of next of kin,” Corpus said.
The names of the victims come as the suspect, Chunli Zhao, is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday afternoon in the Hall of Justice in Redwood City. He faces several felonies, including seven counts of murder.
