Ten people were killed and “a minimum of” ten others were wounded outside Los Angeles when an unidentified gunman opened fire as revelers celebrated the Lunar Latest Yr Saturday night, in line with police.
The shooting occurred at a ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park at 10:22 p.m., police said.
Town of 61,000 is home to a predominantly Asian-American population and is home to numerous Asian markets and restaurants, and was hosting the primary night of its annual Lunar Latest Yr Celebration when the mass shooting occurred.
A lone gunman had fled the scene, and it was unclear if his ghastly attack was targeted, or motivated by hate, officials said at a press conference Sunday.
“When officers arrived on scene they observed quite a few individuals, patrons of the situation, pouring out of the situation, screaming,” Capt. Andrew Meyer of the La County Sheriff’s Dept said. “The officers made entry to the situation and situated additional victims.”
First responders found ten victims fatally shot on the ballroom dance studio on West Garvey Avenue.
“There are a minimum of ten additional victims that were transported to quite a few local hospitals and are listed in various conditions from stable to critical,” Meyer said.
Police were investigating if the catastrophe was connected to a different violent incident within the nearby suburb of Alhambra, in line with Meyer.
Monterey Park is situated within the San Gabriel Valley, roughly 8 miles away from downtown Los Angeles.
Based on the Los Angeles Times, Seung Won Choi, who owns a restaurant across the road from where the shooting happened, said three people rushed into his business and told him to lock the door, claiming the shooter had a “machine gun with multiple rounds of ammunition.”
Police confirmed the Lunar Festival can be canceled in wake of the deadly attack.
“Out of an abundance of caution and reverence for the victims, we’re canceling the event,” Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said.
The festival draws greater than 100,000 visitors every day including food vendors, entertainers, and merchants throughout the two-day celebration.
The Lunar Latest Yr festival began Saturday morning and ended around 9 p.m. local time, greater than an hour before the massacre.
“Our hearts exit to those that lost family members tonight in our neighboring city, Monterey Park, where a mass shooting just occurred,” tweeted Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia, the primary Asian American to carry citywide office in town.
Ten people were killed and “a minimum of” ten others were wounded outside Los Angeles when an unidentified gunman opened fire as revelers celebrated the Lunar Latest Yr Saturday night, in line with police.
The shooting occurred at a ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park at 10:22 p.m., police said.
Town of 61,000 is home to a predominantly Asian-American population and is home to numerous Asian markets and restaurants, and was hosting the primary night of its annual Lunar Latest Yr Celebration when the mass shooting occurred.
A lone gunman had fled the scene, and it was unclear if his ghastly attack was targeted, or motivated by hate, officials said at a press conference Sunday.
“When officers arrived on scene they observed quite a few individuals, patrons of the situation, pouring out of the situation, screaming,” Capt. Andrew Meyer of the La County Sheriff’s Dept said. “The officers made entry to the situation and situated additional victims.”
First responders found ten victims fatally shot on the ballroom dance studio on West Garvey Avenue.
“There are a minimum of ten additional victims that were transported to quite a few local hospitals and are listed in various conditions from stable to critical,” Meyer said.
Police were investigating if the catastrophe was connected to a different violent incident within the nearby suburb of Alhambra, in line with Meyer.
Monterey Park is situated within the San Gabriel Valley, roughly 8 miles away from downtown Los Angeles.
Based on the Los Angeles Times, Seung Won Choi, who owns a restaurant across the road from where the shooting happened, said three people rushed into his business and told him to lock the door, claiming the shooter had a “machine gun with multiple rounds of ammunition.”
Police confirmed the Lunar Festival can be canceled in wake of the deadly attack.
“Out of an abundance of caution and reverence for the victims, we’re canceling the event,” Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said.
The festival draws greater than 100,000 visitors every day including food vendors, entertainers, and merchants throughout the two-day celebration.
The Lunar Latest Yr festival began Saturday morning and ended around 9 p.m. local time, greater than an hour before the massacre.
“Our hearts exit to those that lost family members tonight in our neighboring city, Monterey Park, where a mass shooting just occurred,” tweeted Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia, the primary Asian American to carry citywide office in town.
