Ten people were shot and killed amid Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California, late Saturday night. As of Sunday afternoon, an urgent police manhunt is underway in the Los Angeles area to apprehend the shooter.
According to The New York Times, the gunman killed 10 people and wounded 10 others inside of a ballroom dance hall, and no motive has been released. The Times also reported some key details about the deadly attack:
- Authorities are looking for an Asian male between 30 and 50 years of age, per Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
- “The shooting started around 10:20 p.m. Saturday on West Garvey Avenue, a main thoroughfare of Monterey Park that earlier in the day had hosted a festival celebrating the eve of the Lunar New Year, a major holiday in many Asian communities,” The New York Times reported.
- Roughly 20 minutes after the Monterey Park attack, a gunman is reported to have entered a dance hall in Alhambra, a neighboring city, where he was disarmed by individuals inside the establishment before fleeing.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated that as of now, it’s unclear whether the events in Monterey Park and Alhambra are connected, per The Associated Press. The incident in Alhambra “may be related,” Luna said. “We’re not quite there yet, but it’s definitely on our radar screen.”
Lunar New Year festivities are largely celebrated by the Asian American community throughout the United States. Monterey Park has a population of approximately 60,000, with about 65% being Asian American. Alhambra also has a prominent Asian American community, as 50% of the city’s population are Asian American, according to CNBC.
The Los Angeles Times reported that police located a white van in a nearby city that they believe is connected to the gunman. “Multiple police cars surrounded the vehicle in Torrance on Sunday morning and shots were fired, law enforcement sources told The Times. It was not known who was in the vehicle or whether there were any injuries,” the article said.
A recent update: Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna tweeted out photos of an individual who he described as “the suspect male/adult/Asian” who was “involved in a shooting.”