At least 10 people were killed and 10 others injured in a shooting at a dance club following a Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park, California, authorities said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued a brief statement saying the shooting was reported at 10:22 p.m. Saturday. The shooter remained at large on Sunday.
“Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department detectives are assisting the Monterey Park Police Department in an investigation into the death by shooting,” the statement said. The initial death toll was nine; authorities later said 10 people were killed.
Monterey Park is a city of 60,000 people located about 10 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The shooting took place shortly after a celebration of the Lunar New Year drew thousands to the city, which has a predominantly Asian population.
The shooting was the deadliest in the country since 24 people were killed at a Texas school in May.
developments:
Sheriff’s Captain Andrew Meyer said Sunday that the shooter was male, but did not give a description or motive for the massacre.
Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said the second day of the two-day Lunar New Year celebration was canceled on Sunday “out of an abundance of caution and respect for the victims.”
Police are investigating a possible connection to the Alhambra incident
Meyer said investigators were checking reports that an attempted shooting in a ballroom in Alhambra, a few miles north of Monterey Park, may be related. Detectives were on scene, he said. No injuries were immediately reported. Alhambra mayor Sasha Renée Pérez tweeted condolences for the victims in the neighboring city.
“For this tragedy to occur over the weekend of the Lunar New Year is particularly painful. Monterey Park is home to one of the largest (Asian-American Pacific Islander) communities in the country,” she said. “This is a time when residents should be celebrating with family, friends and loved ones – not afraid of gun violence.”
The Lunar New Year celebration was back after a hiatus
Hours before the shooting, Monterey Park Mayor Henry Lo posted a short video clip of the opening ceremony at the festival, which he said had returned after a three-year absence. The clips show hundreds of people gathered in and under a tent in the sun as people dance in brightly colored animal costumes.
“Monterey Park’s Lunar New Year Festival is back!” Lo wrote. “It was great to see such a large turnout at the Opening Ceremony today. This is a two-day event that ends tomorrow night at night. Come along…welcome the Year of the Rabbit!”
Gun-control advocate Brady United mourns ‘senseless attack’
Kris Brown, president of the gun control organization Brady United, has issued a condolences.
“It is terrible to live in a country where we have to constantly wake up to this horrific news. It is even more blatant that it has become normal for people to be shot during a joyful holiday,” the statement said. intolerance and racism. Our deepest condolences go out to the families and individuals affected by this senseless attack on the Chinese community.”
Police are watching surveillance video
Meyer said the county homicide bureau was working with the Monterey Park Police Department, the FBI and the California Office of Emergency Services on the case. He said it was too early in the investigation to determine a motive.
“The investigators are investigating every lead in this case,” Meyer said. “We have all our resources here. … We review all surveillance videos and follow all leads. We leave nothing unturned.”
He said investigators had not determined whether the shooter knew the victims, and he was asked if the attack was a hate crime.
“We don’t know if it’s a target,” Meyer said. “We will look at every angle, including whether it was a hate crime or not.”
Investigation of shooting incidents at the White House
President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting by Homeland Security adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a Twitter post.
“He instructed her to ensure that the FBI fully supports local authorities, and to update him regularly today as more details become known,” said Jean-Pierre.
Some of the injured are in critical condition
Meyer said officers responded to a call of gunfire around 10:30 p.m. local time.
“When officers arrived at the scene, they saw numerous individuals, patrons of the site, pouring screams from the site,” Meyer said. He said officers immediately entered the building. The injured were taken to hospitals where their condition ranges from stable to critical, Meyer said.
Video from the scene shows ambulances lined up waiting for people to be loaded onto stretchers. Other photos showed bloodied and bandaged victims being treated by firefighters in a parking lot.
“The suspect fled the crime scene and remains open,” Meyer said.
Cantonese, Mandarin is widely spoken in Monterey Park
The shooting site in downtown Monterey Park is a few blocks from City Hall on the city’s main thoroughfare. Garvey Avenue is lined with small business malls with signs in both English and Chinese. Cantonese and Mandarin are both widely spoken, Chinese holidays are celebrated and Chinese films are screened in the city.
Shooter appeared to shoot indiscriminately, witnesses say
Wong Wei, who lives nearby, told the Los Angeles Times that a friend went to the dance club with a group of friends that night. His friend was in the bathroom when the shooting started, Wei said. His friend came out and saw a gunman and the bodies of two women and a club manager, Wei said. The group of friends fled to Wei’s house, he said.
The gunman appeared to be firing indiscriminately, his friends told him.
“They don’t know why, so they run,” he told the Times.
Fifth US mass murder this month, deadliest since May
The tragedy marked the fifth mass murder in the US since the beginning of the year. It is also the deadliest since May 24, when 21 people were killed at a school in Uvalde, Texas, according to The The Bharat Express News/USA TODAY database of mass killings in the US. The database also shows that 2022 was also one of the worst years ever in terms of mass killings: 42 such attacks – the second highest number since the tracker’s creation in 2006. The database defines a mass murder as four deaths, the perpetrator not included.
The latest violence comes two months after five people were killed at a Colorado Springs nightclub.
MASS KILLING DATABASE:Revealing trends, details and fears from every US event since 2006
What is Lunar New Year?
Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is celebrated in several Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, North Korea, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. Some traditions are shared, others are specific to those countries. It marks the beginning of the lunar calendar year and months are lunar cycles.
This year, the lunar year started on Sunday, kicking off the Year of the Rabbit (except Vietnam is swapping a cat for the rabbit). Twelve animals take turns claiming the year on a rotating basis. According to legend, the animals crossed a dangerous river in the following order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
Contributions: The The Bharat Express News
