LOS ANGELES, California — A mass shooting took place late Saturday night after a Chinese New Year celebration in the city of Monterey Park, leaving 10 dead and 10 wounded, according to initial reports.
Local Fox affiliate KTTV-11 reported Sunday morning that the alleged gunman is “still on the loose”:
The shooting happened just before 10:30 p.m. in the 100 block of Garvey Avenue, according to Lieutenant Patricia Thomas of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. According to officials the shooting happened at a ballroom dance studio. LASD said it has been called to assist Monterey Park police with the investigation.
All the at least 10 wounded have been taken to local hospitals. Their conditions range from stable to critical.
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Seung Won Choi, who owns the Clam House seafood barbecue restaurant across the street from where the shooting happened, told the Los Angles Times that three people rushed into his business and told him to lock the door. The people also told Choi that there was a shooter with a machine gun who had multiple rounds of ammunition on him so he could reload. Choi said he believes the shooting took place at a dance club.
The shooter may also have targeted another ballroom. The area, a suburban region within Los Angeles County, has a large Asian-American population.
Local ABC affiliate KABC-7 added:
Monterey Park is a small community of approximately 61,000 people, and it’s a predominantly Asian community. The city was hosting the Monterey Park Lunar New Year Festival this weekend, marking the beginning of the Chinese lunar calendar. The annual two-day street festival is widely attended, with previous celebrations drawing as many as 100,000 daily visitors, according to the city. Saturday’s events were scheduled to finish at 9 p.m.
Local festivities for the Lunar New Year have been canceled.
