attempting to kill another. he also faces additional charges for multiple murders and using a handgun. after today's hearing, the san mateo county d.a. explained what sentence zhao might face. >> the defendant's punishment if convicted on these charges could be life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, making that decision on the death penalty is something that will take place over the course of the next many, many months. >> reporter: zhao did not enter a plea and his arraignment was postponed until february 16th. he was assigned two attorneys from the county's private defender program. even though sources close to the investigation say zhao claimed responsibility for the shootings, to investigators, they are expecting the case will go to trial. the d.a. told us there's no evidence indicating that zhao was inspired by the recent

killings in monterey park. reporting live in redwood city, marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, marianne. meantime, we are learning more about the seven people killed. the county coroner's office released six of the seven names today. 73-year-old zhishen liu from san francisco, 66-year-old qizhong cheng from half moon bay, 50-year-old marciano martinez jimenez from moss beach, 43-year-old yetao bing with a residence unknown, 74-year-old aixiang zhang from san francisco, and 64-year-old jingzhi lu from half moon bay. while the coroner has only tentatively identified the seventh victim family members tell us he is jose perez, on the left with the blue shirt and jacket. the man on the right is pedro perez, his brother. family members tell us he's the lone surviving victim now recovering at stanford hospital.

communities all around the bay area are looking for ways to help survivors and witnesses reeling from the half moon bay mass shooting. county and community groups including coastside hope are trying their best to organize financial and counseling for those who were there when the gunman opened fire. >> the mother that i was talking to, she said, you know, my head is like a disk that spins. i think about it, i think about it, and then i talk to someone and i feel relieved, but then it comes back again and i don't feel safe for my kids anymore. >> coastside and other groups are attempting to address the issue of lost wages for workers at both farms. they say it's still unclear when or if the workers will be allowed to return to their jobs. our coverage of the half moon bay shooting continues online and throughout this newscast. coming up at 5:30 the ways different communities are rushing to help those impacted the most by the shooting. ian cull will have that story

live from half moon bay. new at 5:00 tonight, a deadly fire in san francisco just before noon today. the sf fire department arrived in missouri in potrero hill to find the apartment building engulfed in flames. bystanders helped get three people out of the building and firefighters pulled out another person but it was too late. that victim died. sf fire is investigating how the fire started. in contra costa county the school district is dealing with a fallout from a teacher getting into a fight with a student reportedly after the student called him a racial slur. the teacher was fired, but as nbc bay area's pete suratos reports, the superintendent now plans to address the other side of the issue as well to make sure this doesn't happen again. >> reporter: the video capturing attention on social media. on monday a richmond high school substitute teacher is seen grabbing a student and throwing him to the floor after the student reportedly called him a racial slur. i spoke with a district superintendent, dr. kenneth

hearst, who says school investigators confirmed the student called the teacher the n word. that does not mean they condone the teacher's actions. >> i want to be very clear that no teacher should be putting hands on a student. so that was inappropriate and our stance is that should not have happen. >> reporter: dr. hurst confirmed the teacher is no longer employed and the student did not sustain any major injuries. however, the student won't face disciplinary measures for using the racial slur. students at richmond high protested in solidarity with the teacher and against the use of racial slurs on campus. >> i think it's extremely important for us to listen to the voices of our students but also to listen to the voices of our black students and educators who have had shared experiences. >> the superintendent says he's working to strengthen the school district's anti-racism policies and professional development for teachers to help them better

handle the situations. some parents say there is no debate the teacher simply crossed the line and they hope to never get a call about a teacher doing this to their kid. >> even if they were calling you the n word, you don't have the right to put your hands on a minor. >> reporter: in richmond, pete suratos, nbc bay area news. despite concerns about the xbb family of covid subvariants, scientists say omicron boosters still do their job. people who were boosted had a better chance of mild illness compared to those who weren't. the cdc said it expected rates of severe illness would be lower for boosted people but that data wasn't available. xbb 1.5 subvariant currently makes up nearly 50% of the new covid cases nationwide. outrage on capitol hill after newly elected house speaker kevin mccarthy removed several democrats from key house

committees. they spoke out in washington, d.c., today. mccarthy took eric swalwell off the house intelligence committee saying he was a security risk several years ago. the fbi warned swalwell that a woman volunteering for his campaign might be a spy after which he cut ties. swalwell said it was all about politics. >> the fbi said three times all i did was two things, i helped them over and over and i was never suspected of "the washing four pinocchios which is a whopper, the highest amount that they can give for one of the biggest lies you could tell about somebody else. so this is purely about political vengeance. >> speaker mccarthy removed adam schiff from the same committee and vowed to remove omar as well. president biden announced the u.s. is sending sophisticated tanks to ukraine. the decision to send tanks a

reversal for the biden administration and it comes after pressure from western allies. german officials announced they would be as well. alice barr has the latest from washington. >> reporter: in a major shift today president biden announcing the u.s. will send 31 of the most sophisticated tanks in the world to help ukraine defend against russia's relentless attacks. >> that's what this is about, helping ukraine defend and protect ukrainian land. it is not an offensive threat to russia. >> reporter: it comes as germany announced it's sending tanks to ukraine and allowing other european allies to send their own german-made tanks. >> we are united. america is united and so is the world. >> reporter: the biden administration had previously balked at sending these abrams tanks saying they were too difficult to operate and maintain, now promising to include the necessary training

and supplies. the reversal comes after continued diplomatic talks. >> we want to make sure we are all together. >> reporter: moscow calling the move from the west extremely dangerous. throughout the nearly year long war the u.s. has sought to support ukraine's fight for freedom without provoking an escalated russian response. analysts predict an offensive this spring and while it will take months for the u.s. tanks to arrive europe can move more quickly. >> there will be a significant nato-supplied tank force on the battlefield well in time for the spring offensive. >> reporter: ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy grateful for the support. assistance he and western allies hope will change the war's trajectory to finally bring an end to vladimir putin's deadly war. there's widespread bipartisan

support for ukraine in the upper chamber while house republicans have shown some hesitance in continuing to spend big to back the war-torn country. in washington, alice barr, nbc news. community colleges can now choose to have the day off for lunar new year. assembly member phil ting introduced a new bill today in california that allows community colleges to observe the lunar new year without a holiday. last year a bill passed making the lunar new year a state holiday. this affects community colleges specifically. it is usually celebrated with a break from work and school as people enjoy the holiday with their families. >> i know for my parents it was the holidays they most look forward to because they have to go to work, we had to go to school. it never felt like a complete holiday our family could really take the time to celebrate, the

time to be together and really be with each other. >> ting hopes observing the holiday will education students about the lunar new year while promoting cultural acceptance. a popular camera shop becomes a crime scene. an armed robber's attack inside when we come back. and tesla announces its highly anticipated earnings report. did the automaker exceed expectations? we'll tell you. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri with a little bit of a breeze today your allergies could be bothering you. elm, cedar in the high categories.

today a well-known and much-loved camera store became the scene of violence. someone was shot during a robbery at the family owned san jose camera store in campbell. here is scott budman. >> reporter: the police tape outside san jose camera and video along with the gun and photography equipment near the door hint at what unfolded here today. >> i have an armed robbery and a person had been shot. >> reporter: campbell police say the store, a family owned

community mainstay since it opened in 1929, was the scene of a violent attack. at about 11:00 a.m. someone was shot by armed robbers. tonight police are not saying whether that person is an employee or customer, just that they were critically injured. >> we are confident the suspect is no longer in the area. they could resume business. >> reporter: the news comes as a shock. >> we in the community have been noticing the uptick of violent crimes. >> reporter: a professional photographer and campbell small business owner herself, she says san jose camera and video has long been a partner. >> to have a store like that so close by is huge, and it's been there as long as i've been doing this. >> reporter: tonight she's offering her best wishes to the staff she considers part of the local photography community.

>> you see many of the same people behind the counter year after year, they love what they do. they love sharing the equipment with people, teaching them about it. >> reporter: san jose camera says it will remain closed until january 30th for the mental well-being of its staff. the campbell police department is seeking information from anyone who may have seen the robbery. in campbell, be scott budman, nbc bay area news. signs are pointing towards buyers jumping into the housing market. according to mortgage applications jumped 7% this week. it comes as both mortgage rates and home prices are falling. it doesn't mean the housing market is back to normal. no way. mortgage rate is still almost double what it was a year ago and applications are way down from what they should be. despite an up-and-down year for elon musk's tesla, it has outperformed expectations as a

company. the automotive manufacturer released its earnings report today. it came in slightly ahead of projections on both earnings and revenue. this report had little impact on tesla's stock price which remained about the same. the rest of wall street didn't see much movement. the dow up ten points. the nasdaq and s&p finished down a fraction of a point. all three major averages are still positive for the week. let's bring in our chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. it was warmer. the sun was just shining bright. it was so nice. you could actually sit outside. >> i agree. i was thinking lawn chair maybe for a few minutes. >> yeah. a little coffee outside. it was nice. >> vitamin d. >> i like where you're both going with that. we'll have more chances to get outside if you didn't today and a little bit of rain mixing into the forecast. the microclimate on this wednesday right through the midweek so closer and closer to that weekend. we like that.

mostly sunny skies after some upper 60s, we're at 66 right now and a light wind. we're dropping it down to some low 50s by 9:00 and 10:00. we have been watching some wind gusts up into the mountains. it's been a little bit breezy on and off through the lower elevations, nothing we can't handle. i do want you to see through 7:00 tomorrow morning we're still looking at strong gusts in the north bay mountains, 20 to 50 miles an hour. lower elevations anywhere from 7 to 29. but, look, any kind of wind, that gets out of here quick and it will give us some calm wind here as we head through the afternoon. tomorrow will be setting up even better than today. check it out for the morning temperatures, mostly sunny, 40 in the south bay. tri-valley at 39. and we're dipping back down into the 30s as well here for the east bay. san francisco, 46. i'm calling it a good start. and through the north bay we are

right here at 40. daytime highs as we roll through tomorrow again comfortable. there's a few spots that are actually going to get up into the 70s. it will feel like the 70s in milpitas with the 67. and 67 in gilroy. let's take it over to the east bay here. 65 in danville and 66 in oakland. the peninsula also mighty fine here. 65 in san mateo. san francisco headed to the mission or downtown mid-60s as well and winds just out of the northeast at 5:00. this is where we get into the chance for the 70s. more weather like this as we head through friday's forecast than for the week. we'll get into some changes. here's what we're looking at. this storm looks nothing like what we went through earlier

this month with that record setting rainfall. the problem with the storm system and getting any kind of big rain by sunday is it's moving and dropping down from the north. this is moving over land so it's not really able to scoop up any kind of moisture from the pacific. primarily it will bring us another cold blast of air. so here you can see by saturday afternoon clouds increase and then we get into a chance of spotty rain. you can see it by sunday, snow in the sierra. totals going even lower. trace amounts to about 0.2. sierra snow, a couple inches expected. 2 to 4 inches there sunday into monday. it stays dry through saturday. a spotty chance of rain on sunday and into early monday. dries out after that. and look at the inland valley temperatures. get you ready for this, next week going down below freezing next tuesday and wednesday

morning. more of that chill is coming in. take jessica andjanelle's advice, coffee, lawn chair. still could come, the head of southwest airlines has a better explanation of what went wrong during the holidays. what the airline's first steps were after the meltdown.

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santa clara is now conducting an annual census. surveyors gathered to start counting. last year census teams counted some 10,000 unhoused people countywide, more than half of them, though, were in san jose. organizers say many volunteers are using their own personal experience to conduct a better count. >> a lot of the people who will be out here driving with us today are themselves homeless. they will understand through lived experience where we might be able to see signs people are living in their cars, in the park, in parking lots, in tents. and this is an amazing way of bringing together and empowering people who themselves know what it's like to be homeless. >> contra costa county started its count in san pablo. >> the department of transportation says it's looking into whether southwest airlines flight schedule was unrealistic during its meltdown over the

holidays. southwest had to cancel two-thirds of its flights for days during the christmas week. the ceo sat down to explain what the next steps are for the company. it's also working to improve its flight crew assignment software. they provided premium pay and handed out bonuses and on top of refunds gave more points to people who had flights canceled during the meltdown. the hit to southwest airlines will likely be between $700 million to $800 million. eagles fans are hoping for divine inter

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people in the bay area we are excited for the 49ers in the nfc championship game. >> but the other people, the philadelphia eagles, they are finding creative ways to show their support.

that is the eagles fight song played on real tower chimes. the church's chime player says she incorporated the song when the eagles made the super bowl in 2018. the eagles are one win away from the big game this year. the 49ers are hoping to clamp down on those chimes and have her stop playing it. >> you can watch us live on roku, amazon fire, apple tv and online. we're working on a lot of things. families picking up the pieces following the mass shooting in half moon bay. people are trying to help the more than 40 families displaced. >> we continue to investigate long wait times at valley medical center. why it led to him using his job and home. and the 49ers make a decision on whether a player recently

arrested will be allowed to play in the nfc championship. what coach shanahan is saying today. good wednesday. the news at 5:30 starts right now. thank you for joining us. i'm janelle wang. >> and i'm raj mathai. new developments in half moon bay and in the courtroom in redwood city. the suspect did make his first court appearance while the coroner identified the victim. the farm working community is reeling as support and donations are flooding in from around the region. nbc bay area's ian cull joins us along the coast with the very latest. ian? >> reporter: this nonprofit has been taking in a steady stream of food, water, clothing and plenty of prayers. all will be going out to the farmworkers and families affected by the mass shooting.

half moon bay is known as a coastal town with a tight-knit community but this week has been torn apart by the mass shooting. dozens of people have added flowers to a memorial near city hall. >> my strongest feelings are with the families. >> reporter: but with grief comes strength and eventually healing. >> thank you for everything that you're doing. >> oh, thank you. >> reporter: donations have been pouring in to a nonprofit, alas. >> we've been working with these farms for a long time. these families have children and grandparents and each one has a story. we have been dealing with these families through the floods, through covid. >> reporter: the alas president says it's especially tough because so many farmworkers were already struggling daily to make ends meet. >> unfortunately, this is happening more and more.