Half Moon Bay, California – Pedro Romero Perez, the lone survivor of a tragic mass shooting at a mushroom farm, is taking legal action against the farm’s owner, Xianmin Guan. The attack, which occurred in January 2023, resulted in seven fatalities, including Perez’s brother, Jose Romero Perez.
Perez, aged 24, sustained five gunshot wounds during the incident at California Terra Garden and Concord Farms. He is now seeking compensation for the physical and emotional trauma he has endured, as well as financial losses due to his inability to work. Another lawsuit has also been filed by the same law office on behalf of Jose Romero Perez’s wife, Marciana Rodriguez Roque, for the wrongful death of her husband.
The legal team representing Perez and Roque aims to shed light on the mistreatment of farmworkers and the poor living conditions they are subjected to. They argue that the farm’s owner failed to take adequate measures to protect employees from foreseeable violence, leading to the tragic events of that fateful day.
Following the shooting, local authorities arrived at the scene to discover four individuals deceased and Perez injured at California Terra Garden. Three more fatalities were found three miles away at Concord Farms. This incident occurred just two days after a separate mass shooting in Monterey Park, underscoring the prevalence of gun violence in the region.
The investigation into the shooting revealed substandard living conditions at the farm, with workers like the Perez brothers residing in unfit, company-owned containers. The legal proceedings also highlighted a previous gun-related incident at the farm in July 2022, further raising concerns about safety and security measures.
Despite the California Division of Occupational Health and Safety citing numerous violations at California Terra Garden and Concord Farms, including the absence of active-shooter protocols, the farm’s owner and legal representatives have yet to respond to the lawsuit. The ongoing legal battle underscores the need for accountability and improved protections for vulnerable migrant farmworkers in the industry.