Just two days after the bloody crime in a dance club in California, seven farm workers were shot dead in the US state - apparently by a colleague. According to police reports, the perpetrator shot around on two nearby farms south of San Francisco on Monday and was arrested in a dramatic action. Meanwhile, during the investigation into the attack on a dance club near Los Angeles on Saturday, jealousy came into focus as a possible motive.
The police received an emergency call on Monday afternoon and moved out, police chief Christina Corpus reported. Officials discovered four bodies with gunshot wounds on a farm. A fifth victim was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. "Shortly thereafter, three more fatalities with gunshot wounds were discovered at another crime scene."
The alleged perpetrator then drove to a police station in Half Moon Bay, where television crews were already waiting for a police press conference. Footage taken by them shows an apparently Asian man being pushed to the ground by armed police officers. According to the police, a semi-automatic weapon was found in the 67-year-old's car.
The motive for the act initially remained unclear, according to the police, the victims were colleagues of the arrested person. According to a local broadcaster, those killed all came from China. The attack was carried out in front of other people living on the farms, including several children, Corpus said. "It's just unbelievable that children have to experience something like this."
California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed his dismay on Monday. "Tragedy upon tragedy," the Democrat wrote on Twitter. He met people injured in the Monterey Park incident in the hospital on Monday when he was informed of the next shooting in Half Moon Bay, the politician said. Newsom has long advocated tougher gun laws. The White House announced that US President Joe Biden had also been briefed on the incident.
There was also a gun attack in the state of Iowa on Monday. Two people were killed and another seriously injured in the incident at a youth support center in Des Moines. The victims were "adolescents or young adults," said the police. According to information from residents, three suspects have now been arrested.
The new bloodshed shook the United States less than 48 hours after the attack on a Los Angeles-area dance club. A 72-year-old man of Asian descent opened fire on those present. The bloodbath in the pro-Asian community of Monterey Park occurred during Chinese New Year celebrations. Another victim of the attack died on Monday, bringing the death toll to 11.
According to a report by the "Los Angeles Times", investigators are currently investigating that it could have been a crime of jealousy. Therefore, possible personal relationships between the perpetrator and the victims would be investigated.
However, police chief Robert Luna emphasized in a press conference: "We do not yet know the motive." According to witnesses, the perpetrator may have known some of his victims. So far, however, there is no information about any family relationships.
