Suspect in Half Moon Bay shooting waited in empty sheriff's lobby and outside the substation for 2 hours thinking 'arrest me already:' jailhouse interview

• New details were revealed about the suspect in the Half Moon Bay shootings.
• NBC Bay Area reported that he said he carried out the shootings and that he felt remorse.

The suspect in the Half Moon Bay, California, shootings said he arrived to a sheriff's department lobby to turn himself in on Monday after carrying out the attacks — but that no one was there, according to a jailhouse interview.

In the interview Thursday with NBC Bay Area, the shooting suspect spoke in Mandarin to the reporter about his regret in the killing of seven people at a mushroom farm and trucking services company.

The 67-year-old said that after checking the lobby, he sat outside a San Mateo County Sheriff's Department substation in his car for two hours before he was arrested.

NBC Bay Area reported that when authorities located his vehicle, they were "milling around his car" and made eye contact with him. At that point, the shooting suspect said: "Yes, it's me. It's me. Please arrest me already," per the NBC Bay Area reporter, who recounted the interview, but could not record it due to the jail's policy.

In the interview, the man said he would work from the early morning to 9 p.m. sometimes and was frustrated by his bosses at the farm. He shared that he has a daughter who lives in China and a wife who lives in Half Moon Bay, though he hasn't spoken to her since his arrest.

He also expressed regret for the shooting and said he struggled with mental illness. He also said he used his green card to buy the firearm used in the shootings.

The shooting suspect's lawyers — who NBC Bay Area reported were not aware he was giving the interview until the reporter contacted them afterward — did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

A spokesperson for the San Mateo Sheriff's Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

On Monday, authorities first responded to a shooting at the mushroom farm where the shooting suspect worked in Half Moon Bay. There, four people were killed, and later three more people were shot and killed at a trucking business.

The shooting suspect arrived for an arraignment hearing Wednesday at the San Mateo County Superior Court. Prosecutors have levied seven charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder against him.

The San Mateo County Office of the Coroner has identified six of the seven victims of the shootings. Two of the victims were in their 70s, two were in their 60s, one person was in their 50s, and another was in their 40s.

An additional victim survived the shooting and was in stable condition as of Thursday, according to The Los Angeles Times.