HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (KRON) — Seven Half Moon Bay farmworkers who lost their lives in a horrific mass shooting were immigrants from China and Mexico. They had all settled in Half Moon Bay with dreams of a better life.
Some of the victims’ families requested privacy and time to grieve. Other shared memories at the vigil and stories about the farmworkers’ lives before they were tragically cut short on January 23.
Jose Romero Perez
Jose Romero Perez, 38, emigrated from Oaxaca, Mexico, to Half Moon Bay, California less than two years ago with hopes of earning enough money to support his wife and children, according to his family.
His cousin wrote, “He wanted to provide a better quality of life for all of them. Jose was a kind, respectful, and hard working person. I witnessed the great heart he had. He painfully lost his life in the massacre.”
Jose Romero Perez’s brother, Pedro Romero Perez, was also shot in the mass shooting and survived.
Marciano Martinez Jimenez
Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, was born in Oaxaca, Mexico, and lived in Half Moon Bay for more than two decades. “He was a good son, brother, uncle and a great friend for everyone that knew him. He took on the father role for all of us,” his brother wrote.
Jimenez’s neighbor, Francisca Sanchez, told KRON4 in Spanish, “He would walk his dog every morning. I am still in a state of shock because I could not believe this would happen. He is gone too young.”
Jimenez worked at Concord Farms and was a supervisor at California Terra Garden, the two farms targeted by the killer. “I don’t understand why all this happened. He was a good person, he was polite, and friendly. He never had any problems with anyone,” his brother, Servando Martinez Jimenez said in Spanish.
Jimenez also volunteered for RotaCare Clinic for several years because he enjoyed giving back to his community.
Yetao Bing
Yetao Bing, 43, of Half Moon Bay, was his parents’ only son.
When Bing immigrated from China to the U.S., he worked as a technician at a mushroom farm in New Jersey, his family said. Last year, he moved to Half Moon Bay to work for California Terra Garden.
Bing was a father of two. He was very proud of his son for going to college, and he loved spoiling his 4-year-old daughter, his family said.
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, Hongmei Shao, wrote.
“He didn’t talk much, instead he worked hard making sure every little thing was done right,” Shao said. “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. Wherever he went, people loved him. Loved his work.”
He lived in a trailer at California Terra Garden. Bing survived another shooting involving workplace violence on the farm just months before he was killed in the mass shooting. According to court documents, last summer a farmworker fired a gun through a co-worker’s trailer and into a neighboring trailer while Bing was inside.
Bing is survived by his wife, Meng, Xiuju, his daughter, Anqi Bing, and his son, Duhuan Bing, as well as his parents and two older sisters in China.
Zhishen Liu and Aixiang Zhang
Zhishen Liu, 73, and Aixiang Zhang, 74, were a married couple from China who lived and worked at Concord Farms. Their daughter lives in San Francisco. The victims’ family asked for privacy as they continue to grieve.
Jingzhi Lu and Qizhong Cheng
Little is known about Qizhong Cheng, 66, of Half Moon Bay, and Jingzhi Lu, 64. San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said finding victims’ families for death notifications was challenging because their families lived abroad. Investigators are still unsure of where Lu was living before the mass shooting.
