Half Moon Bay shooting suspect pleads not guilty to seven counts of murder

© Terry Schmitt/UPI Chunli Zhao, the 67-year-old man accused of killing co-workers at two California farms in January, pleaded not guilty to all charges on Thursday. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI

Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Chunli Zhao, the 67-year-old man accused of killing co-workers at two California farms in January, pleaded not guilty to all charges on Thursday.

Zhao is accused of killing seven people and injuring another in a shooting spree in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Jan. 25. He was charged with seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

San Mateo County Judge Elizabeth K. Lee set Zhao's next hearing date for May 3, NBC News reports.

Zhao is accused of opening fire with a semiautomatic handgun at two farms that are about two miles apart. He possessed the gun legally. One of the sites was Mushroom Farms, where he was employed. Some of the victims were Zhao's co-workers or former co-workers, and investigators determined the incident to be a case of workplace violence.

According to a report from KTVU in Oakland, Calif., the incident may have been spurred on by a dispute between Zhao and one of the workers over a $100 bill. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe also said this could have been a factor.

KNBC Bay Area's Janelle Wang interviewed Zhao from jail days after the shooting. He told Wang that he believes he suffers from a mental illness and "wasn't in his right mind the day of the shootings."

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