The US state of California is in shock following the second mass shooting in as many days after a man killed seven of his former coworkers south of San Francisco.
The coastal city of Half Moon Bay was the scene of the assaults. The victims were all American farm labourers of Chinese descent.
Zhao Chunli, the suspect, was detained after arriving at a police station in his car.
In the midst of Lunar New Year celebrations, 11 people died at Monterey Park, which is around six hours south-east of Half Moon Bay.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, described the second incident as “tragedy upon tragedy” in a tweet while he was meeting with victims of the first mass shooting at a hospital.
‘Unspeakable’
Two ranches near the village of Half Moon Bay were the scene of the most recent slaughter in the state.
The first four victims of the shooting were located at a mushroom field, while the last three were later discovered at a nearby trucking company. A critical condition is being treated for in a hospital for an eighth victim.
Children who resided on the remote farm and had just gotten released from school watched the attack, according to Christina Corpus, sheriff for San Mateo County.
“This kind of shooting is horrific. It’s a tragedy we hear about far too often, but today it’s hit home here in San Mateo County,” the office said.
“For children to witness, this is unspeakable.”
After committing the murders, the suspect drove to a nearby police station, where he was apprehended and his arrest was recorded on video.
Zhao Chunli was shown on US TV stations being restrained by police before being taken into custody.
He was cooperating with authorities, according to Sheriff Corpus, and was discovered in possession of a semi-automatic weapon that may have been used in the attack.
President of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, Dave Pine informed the Associated Press that a “disgruntled worker” was responsible for the attacks.
“We are sickened by today’s tragedy in Half Moon Bay,” Mr Pine said in a statement. “There are simply too many guns in this country and there has to be a change.”
Within hours of the assault, a shooting in Oakland, which is located around 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Half Moon Bay, left seven people hurt and one person dead.
In just 24 days, there have been 37 mass shootings, according to the US non-profit Gun Violence Archive.
When four or more people are hurt or killed, they consider it to be a mass shooting.
Detectives in the southern part of the state were still looking for an explanation for the killings in Monterey Park as information about the deadly attack in Half Moon Bay came to light.
In a suburban dance club there, an elderly Asian immigrant slaughtered 11 people before turning the gun on himself as police closed in.
