Ten people have been killed and ten others are hospitalized after a mass shooting at a Lunar New Year festival in Monterey Park, Calif. outside Los Angeles Saturday night.
The gunman remains at large, and more than eight hours after the shooting, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office has not released a detailed description of him, the weapon he used, or clear details of what happened before or during the shooting.
The shooting happened about 10:20 pm. in the 100 block of West Garvey Avenue in Monterey Park, a city of about 60,000 people 9 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
Monterey Park’s population is about 66% Asian American, with about half of that population being of Chinese origin. The area where the shooting happened is home to numerous noodle shops and other businesses catering to the Chinese American community.
Here’s what we know so far.
What happened?
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has released few details about the shooting. They were called at 10:22 p.m. on reports that shots were being fired.
The shooting is believed to have happened at a dance studio and ballroom, according to CNN. The sheriff’s department, however, has not released the name of the business.
“When officers arrived on scene, they observed numerous individuals, patrons … pouring out of the location, screaming,” sheriff’s Capt. Andrew Meyer said.
Officers then entered the business and found several other victims who had been shot. The Monterey Park Fire Department arrived and pronounced ten people dead at the scene. At least 10 other people were taken to local hospitals, some in critical condition, according to authorities.
Police were also investigating whether another incident about two miles away in Alhambra was connected to the shooting, Sheriff’s Capt. Andrew Meyer said early Sunday.
What do we know about the gunman?
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office has released very few details about the gunman, the weapon he used, or his whereabouts as of Sunday morning.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said a press conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. local time on Sunday to give additional information.
Meyer said investigators have no information about a possible motive for the shooting. “We will look at every angle,” he said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
What is the reaction to the shooting?
The City of Monterey Park announced that it would cancel the second day of the Lunar New Year festival, which was scheduled for Sunday, January 22, in response to the shooting. “The City expresses condolences to the individuals, families, and friends who were injured in this tragic incident,” it said in the statement Sunday morning.
President Joe Biden is aware of the shooting and was briefed by Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, according to a tweet by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Biden also directed the FBI to provide “full support” to the local police force.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said his heart was mourning as he learned more about the tragedy. “Monterey Park should have had a night of joyful celebration of the Lunar New Year,” tweeted Newsom on Sunday morning. “Instead, they were the victims of a horrific and heartless act of gun violence.”
Rep. Judy Chu, who represents Monterey Park, said she is “closely following the situation.”
“My heart is broken for the victims, their families, and the people of my hometown Monterey Park who were impacted by the mass shooting that took place during a night of Lunar New Year celebrations,” Chu said on Twitter.
The Mayor of Diamond Bar, California, Andrew Chou, also tweeted about the incident Sunday.
“Our prayers are with our friends and colleagues in the great city of Monterey Park,” Chou wrote. “We stand ready to lend our support during this difficult time as we wait for more confirmed details of an alleged mass shooting incident.”
Similar support was expressed by Mayor Sasha Renee Perez of Alhambra. “Our community stands ready to do whatever we can to support all those impacted,” she tweeted.
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