HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (KRON) — Before the afternoon of January 23, 2023, Half Moon Bay was best known for its annual pumpkin weighing contest and big wave surfing. Locals who live in this quiet and scenic coastal community were horrified when a lone gunman killed seven farmworkers. The targeted victims were immigrants from China and Mexico, and investigators classified the shooting as a case of “workplace violence.”

Thursday marks one month since the deadliest mass shooting in San Mateo County’s history. Through images, here is a look back at what happened, and how the community is moving forward with healing:

A memorial for the Half Moon Bay mass shooting victims includes messages in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.  (Photo by SAMANTHA LAUREY /AFP via Getty Images)
Half Moon Bay Vice Mayor Joaquin Jiménez told reporters who gathered the day after the mass shooting for a news conference: “Many of you come to the community for the pumpkins and ignore the farmworkers. Not today. We’re not going to ignore anybody. We’re going to support each other.” (Photo by SAMANTHA LAUREY/AFP via Getty Images)
San Mateo County sheriff deputies hold candles during a candlelight vigil for the victims on January 27, 2023 in Half Moon Bay, California. Hundreds of people attended the vigil to honor the seven farmworkers. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
FBI agents walk towards the crime scene at Mountain Mushroom Farm on Jan. 24, 2023, the day after a gunman shot eight people — seven fatally — at two farms in Half Moon Bay, Calif. (AP Photo /Aaron Kehoe)
Deputies with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office were the first emergency responders on scene after the shootings on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. (Karl Mondon / Bay Area News Group via AP)
Chunli Zhao was arrested in front of reporters who had gathered from a news conference at a San Mateo County Sheriff’s substation in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23, 2023. Deputies spotted Zhao parked next to the substation and arrested him at gunpoint. (KRON4 image / Sara Stinson)
Zhao lived with his wife in this shack at California Terra Gardens. (Image courtesy Supervisor Ray Mueller)
When investigators combed through the farms looking for evidence after the shooting, they were shocked to also find deplorable living conditions for the farmworkers and their families. San Mateo County launched a task force to investigate hundreds of local farms for housing violations, and to help migrant farmworkers “living in the shadows,” county supervisors said. (Image courtesy Supervisor Ray Mueller)
This is an image of police tape at the scene.
An aerial image shows California Terra Gardens, formerly known as Mountain Mushroom Farm. The farm’s spokesperson said Zhao was already working on the mushroom farm when CTG took over operations. Zhao believed he was mistreated at work and the shooting stemmed from “workplace violence” investigators said. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom toured the farms on Jan. 24, 2023. Newsom said some of the farmworkers earned $9 an hour.
Chunli Zhao wipes a tear during a hearing at the San Mateo County Hall of Justice in Redwood City, Calif., on Feb. 10, 2023. Zhao was charged with seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. (Dai Sugano /Bay Area News Group/ Pool)
Chunli Zhao stands between his defense attorneys in court. Zhao was born in China and speaks Mandarin. He listened to a translator through headphones for the court proceedings. Victims targeted in the shooting were migrant farmworkers from China and Mexico. (Dai Sugano / Bay Area News Group/Pool)
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe speaks to reporters about Chunli Zhao. A judge later issued a gag order barring prosecutors from speaking to the media about the case. (Photo by SAMANTHA LAUREY / AFP via Getty Images)
Chunli Zhao gave a jailhouse interview to a Bay Area TV reporter and reportedly admitted to the mass murder spree. In court, however, he pleaded not guilty to all charges.  If convicted, he could face the death penalty. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group/Pool)
Jose Romero Perez was one of seven farmworkers slain. Perez, 38, emigrated from Oaxaca, Mexico, to Half Moon Bay less than two years ago with hopes of earning enough money to support his wife and children. His brother, Pedro Romero Perez, was also shot in the mass shooting and survived. (Photo by SAMANTHA LAUREY /AFP via Getty Images)
Another victim was Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, who was born in Oaxaca, Mexico, and lived in Half Moon Bay for more than two decades. Jimenez worked at Concord Farms and was a supervisor at California Terra Garden, the two farms targeted by the killer. (Photo by SAMANTHA LAUREY/AFP via Getty Images)
Yetao Bing
Yetao Bing, 43, of Half Moon Bay, was the youngest victim. He was a father of two. Bing was planning a trip to China in February. He was looking forward to bringing his 4-year-old daughter, who had never been to China, with him. “He carried her on his shoulder everywhere he went with her,” said his friend. “He was the first one at the greenhouse every morning, and the last one to leave. He had the respect of everyone at the farm.” (Courtesy the Bing family)
Half Moon Bay residents who knew some of the victims said they never thought a mass shooting could happen in their quiet community. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
This is an image of greenhouses at a farm.
Zhao was not the first farmworker who lived and worked at California Terra Gardens to seek revenge against co-workers through violence. In the summer of 2022, another worker was arrested for attempted murder after he threatened to kill his co-worker’s family and fired a bullet through trailers on the farm. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)