Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty
On Saturday night,at least 10 people were killedand at least 10 were injured in a mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif. The shooting occurred around 10:20 p.m. inside a dance venue on West Garvey Avenue, a main drag in the Southern California city.
The attack took place on the eve of theLunar New Year, a major holiday in many Asian communities. Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of people had gathered in the area to celebrate the holiday.
The suspect is still at large.
Here’s what we know about the shooting so far:
5 Men and 5 Women Were Killed
At a Sunday morning press conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the fatalities included five men and five women. The names of the victims have not been released.
At least 10 more people were injured in the shooting and were transported to multiple hospitals, Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said at an earlier press conference Sunday morning. The injured victims were listed in various conditions, from stable to critical.
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Luna said the 10 people killed were of Asian descent.
Minutes After Shooting, Police Believe Suspect Entered Another Dance Venue
Luna said that based on a “very preliminary description,” the suspect was an Asian man between the ages of 30 and 50. He said law enforcement has “gotten different descriptions of the suspect.”
According to Luna, 20 to 30 minutes after the Monterey Park shooting, an armed man believed to be the suspect walked into a dance studio in the neighboring city of Alhambra. People in the dance studio wrestled his weapon from him, and then the man fled.
Police recovered a weapon from the scene; Luna said the weapon used in the shooting was not a high-powered assault rifle.
On Sunday, law enforcement released photos of the suspect.
LA County Sheriff’s Department
“We are utilizing every resource to apprehend this suspect in what we believe to be one of the county’s most heinous cases,” Luna said, adding, “We need to get this person off the street as soon as possible.”
“Our priority is to get to the victims, get to the survivors and wrap our arms around the families,” said Luna. “Our next priority is to arrest the person who did this, charge them and get them prosecuted to the full extent to the law, no matter what the intent or motive.”
Jae C Hong/AP/Shutterstock
The Suspected Shooter Died After Stand-Off With Police
Luna says that to the best of his knowledge, sheriff’s deputies didn’t fire any shoots during the stand-off.
“I’m here to report that the suspect responsible for this tragedy is no longer a threat,” he said.
Monterey Park Is 65% Asian
Monterey Park, in Los Angeles County, is about seven miles east of downtown Los Angeles.According to the 2020 census, has a population of about 60,000 people, 65% of whom are Asian.
The New York Timesreports that in the 1990s, the city claimed to be the first city in the continental United States where the majority of residents were of Asian descent.
Officials Have Not Ruled Out Hate Crime
The motive of the shooting is not known. Officials are investigating the possibility the shooting may have been a hate crime.
According to the California Department of Justice, hate crimes against Asian Americans in California increased 177.5% in 2021 from 2020, theLos Angeles Timesreported.
source: people.com
