California shooting survivor sues farm for failing to keep him safe from suspect Chunli Zhao
- Pedro Romero Perez was shot 5 times during the incident at Half Moon Bay that saw several colleagues killed, including his brother
- The farmworker says California Terra Garden, owned by Xianmin Guan, knew Zhao had a history of violence but did not protect the victims
A migrant farmworker who survived a mass shooting last year at a Northern California mushroom farm has filed a lawsuit against the farm and one of its owners, saying they failed to keep him safe from the colleague who authorities say committed the killings, the worker and his lawyers said on Friday.
Pedro Romero Perez, 24, was in the shipping container that served as his and his brother’s home at California Terra Gardens in Half Moon Bay when authorities say Chunli Zhao barged in and opened fire, killing his brother Jose Romero Perez and shooting him five times, including once in the face.
Prosecutors say Zhao killed three other colleagues at the farm on January 23, 2023, after his supervisor demanded he pay a US$100 repair bill for damage to his work forklift.
They say he then drove to Concord Farms, a mushroom farm he was fired from in 2015, and shot to death three former colleagues. Zhao pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in February.
The lawsuit by Pedro Romero Perez and another lawsuit by his brother’s wife and children against California Terra Garden, Inc. and Xianmin Guan, one of its owners, say there was a documented history of violence at the farm and that the company failed to take action to protect workers after another shooting at the property involving a then-manager in July 2022.