Following a Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park, California, authorities said that a shooting spree at a dance club left at least 10 people dead and 10 more injured.
In a brief statement, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated that the incident was reported at 10:22 on Saturday night. The shooter evaded capture. According to the message, “Homicide investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office are responding to help the Monterey Park Police Department with a gunshot death investigation.” Initial reports put the death toll at nine; later reports put it at ten.
60,000 people live in Monterey Park, a city located about 10 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Following a Lunar New Year festival that drew hundreds of people to the city, which has a predominantly Asian population, the shooting occurred. Since 24 people were murdered in a Texas school in May, the shooting was the bloodiest in the country.
Changes have occurred
- Sheriff’s Capt. Andrew Meyer stated on Sunday that the gunman was a male but did not offer any further details or an explanation for the bloodshed.
- He stated that authorities were looking into rumors that a shooting attempt at a ballroom in Alhambra, a few miles north of Monterey Park, might be connected.
- The second day of the two-day Lunar New Year event that was scheduled to take place on Sunday has been postponed, according to Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese, “out of an abundance of caution and reverence for the victims.”
Police are reviewing security footage
The Monterey Park Police, the FBI, and the California Office of Emergency Services were all involved in the investigation, according to Meyer, who also added that the county homicide bureau was. He claimed that it was still too early to pin down a motive for the incident.
Meyer stated that “the detectives are following every clue in this case.” “We have everything we need right here.” We are watching every piece of surveillance footage and investigating every lead. “We won’t skip a step in our investigation.”
He claimed that the authorities had not established whether the shooter knew the victims, and he was questioned about whether the assault was motivated by hatred.
“We are unsure if it is targeted,” Meyer added. “We will examine every possibility, including whether or not it was a hate crime.”
According to a tweet from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House is investigating the shooting. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, the homeland security adviser, briefed President Joe Biden on the shooting.
According to Jean-Pierre, “He gave her the go-ahead to ensure that the FBI is fully supporting local authorities and to update him daily as new information becomes available.”
Some of the injured are in serious condition
Around 10:30 p.m. local time, according to Meyer, police were called about gunfire.
Meyer stated that when the police came to the scene, they saw a large number of people—the establishment’s customers—pouring out screaming. He claimed that police entered the building right away. According to Meyer, the injured were brought to hospitals, where they are being treated for states ranging from critical to stable.
In the video taken at the scene, ambulances can be seen waiting in line as victims are put onto stretchers. Other images showed bandaged, bloodied victims receiving medical attention from firefighters in a parking lot.
Meyer said, “The suspect fled the scene and is still at large.”
A few blocks from City Hall on the major route of the city, the shooting happened in downtown Monterey Park. With signs in both English and Chinese, the strip malls that line Garvey Avenue are home to many small companies. Chinese holidays are observed, Cantonese and Mandarin are commonly spoken, and the city hosts screenings of Chinese movies.
Witnesses claim the shooter appeared to fire haphazardly
A neighbor named Wong Wei informed the Los Angeles Times that one of his pals had attended the dance club that evening with some friends. Wei claimed that his friend was in the restroom when the gunfire began. Wei claimed that when his companion emerged, he found a shooter as well as the bodies of two ladies and a club manager. He claimed that the group of buddies ran to Wei’s house. His friends said the shooter appeared to fire carelessly. He told the channel, “They don’t know why, so they run.”
Since May, there have been five mass killings in the US
Since the year’s beginning, there have been five mass killings in the United States. According to a record of mass killings in the US maintained by The Associated Press and USA TODAY, it is also the bloodiest incident since May 24, when 21 people were killed in a school in Uvalde, Texas. The database also reveals that 2022 was one of the deadliest years ever in terms of mass killings, with 42 such incidents, the second-highest total since the tracker’s inception in 2006. Four victims, excluding the killer, are required for mass murder.
Two months after five people were slain at a nightclub in Colorado Springs, there was further violence.
Last but not least for today, a brief description of the Lunar New Year
Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is observed in several Asian nations, including China, Vietnam, North and South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. While some of their customs are universal, others are unique to individual countries. Months are moon cycles, and they signal the start of the lunar calendar year.
Sunday this year marked the beginning of the lunar year and the Year of the Rabbit (except in Vietnam, which swaps a cat for a rabbit). The year is contested by twelve animals alternately. Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig are said to have been the order in which the animals crossed a perilous river.
