Monterey Park Lunar New Year Shooting Updates: Gunman at Large
On Sunday, Police in Torrance, Ca. swarmed a white van potentially linked to the mass shooting in Monterey Park, Ca, more than 13 hours after the mass shooting that left ten dead and another ten injured after a Lunar New Year festival in Monterey Park, Calif. Saturday night.
The SWAT team operation that barricaded the white van that authorities said was possibly linked to the shooting concluded in the early afternoon, according to a tweet from the Special Enforcement Bureau of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, but there were no further details provided.
Officials haven’t confirmed whether the person in the van was the suspect, or whether the vehicle that was barricaded is the same van that police say is possibly linked to the shooting.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna released images of the suspected gunman in a tweet Sunday, asking for help identifying an Asian male, and noted that he should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
The image shared was from a separate incident that occurred nearly 20 minutes after the shooting at the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, Calif, about two miles away.
Sheriff Luna said he couldn’t 100% confirm if the two incidents were connected, however, during a second Sunday press briefing.
During a press conference Sunday morning, Luna gave only a broad description of the gunman, but also noted authorities had received different descriptions of the suspect. Luna still encouraged residents to go out and enjoy Lunar New Year events.
“We are here to tell you that we are utilizing every resource to apprehend this suspect, in what we believe to be the county’s most heinous cases,” Luna said at the press conference.
The shooting happened about 10:20 pm. in the 100 block of West Garvey Avenue in the city of about 60,000 people nine miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Monterey Park’s population is about 66% Asian American, with about half of that population being of Chinese origin. The area where the shooting happened is home to numerous noodle shops and other businesses catering to the Chinese American community.
“It’s difficult to believe that [this] happened here in Monterey Park,” said Monterey Park Mayor Henry Lo at the press briefing. “I want the community to be rest assured that our police department will continue every day to protect the safety of everyone.”
Here’s what we know so far.
Frederic J. Brown—AFP/Getty Images
Frederic J. Brown—AFP/Getty ImagesLA County Sheriff’s Department homicide bureau captain Andrew Meyer briefs the media in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 22, 2023.
What happened
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has released few details about the shooting. They were called at 10:22 p.m. on reports that shots were being fired in the 100 block of West Garvey Avenue.
The shooting is believed to have happened at a dance studio and ballroom, according to CNN. The sheriff’s department, however, has not released the name of the business.
“When officers arrived on scene, they observed numerous individuals, patrons … pouring out of the location, screaming,” sheriff’s Capt Andrew Meyer said at a press conference early Sunday morning.
Officers then entered the business and found several other victims who had been shot. The Monterey Park Fire Department arrived and pronounced ten people dead, five men and five women, at the scene. At least 10 other people were taken to local hospitals, some in critical condition. The victims have not yet been identified and no other information has been released.
Seung Won Choi, owner of a seafood barbecue restaurant across from where the shooting happened, told the Los Angeles Times that three people ran into his restaurant and asked him to lock the door. He alleges that the shooter had multiple rounds of ammunition and reloaded his gun after he ran out.
Sheriff Luna said that police had not yet identified the weapon, but confirmed that authorities did not believe it was an assault rifle.
Edwin Chen, who grew up in the area, says he rushed over from Woodland Hills when he heard the news. “This {was supposed to be] a happy time,” he said. “I want to find out as much as possible. It’s still shocking.”
Police have not yet confirmed the deadly shooting was connected to another incident that occurred nearly 20 minutes later at the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, Calif, about two miles from the shooting.
In Alhambra, officials are still interviewing dozens of witnesses, but believe that the suspect entered the ballroom with a gun before bystanders “wrestled the firearm away.” The suspect then took off, Luna said at the press conference. Witnesses also identified a white cargo van that police surrounded in Torrance on Sunday morning. Multiple shots were fired, according to the LA Times.
The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office is working with the sheriff department’s homicide bureau, the Monterey Park Police as the investigation continues.
This marks the 33rd mass shooting just this year, and the fifth mass murder shooting, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
A law enforcement helicopter hovers over Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 22, 2023.
Jae C. Hong—AP
What do we know about the gunman?
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office released photos of the alleged gunman on Sunday afternoon, noting that investigators had identified him as a homicide suspect who should be considered armed and dangerous.
The suspect was described as being an Asian male between 30-50 years old. Police say he had been wearing a black leather jacket, beanie, and glasses at the time of the shooting.
Meyer said investigators have no information about a possible motive for the shooting. “We will look at every angle,” he said.
When asked about whether this event would be labeled as a hate crime, Sheriff Luna said it could be a possibility. “We don’t know if this is specifically a hate crime defined by law, but who walks into a dance hall and guns down 20 people,” he said Sunday morning.
Officials are not yet releasing the name of the suspect but said it is a “priority to apprehend” the person in the picture and are asking residents who recognize the man to provide tips. “We believe if we put his name out that will inhibit our ability to potentially arrest the suspect if he’s out there, or maybe flee. So please, please be patient with us,” Luna added at a midday media briefing Sunday.
What do we know about the festival celebration
The shooting took place a block away from the city’s Lunar New Year Celebration—one of the biggest across Southern California. The event, which was set to last through Sunday, has tracked more than 100,000 visitors per day in previous years. This year, the event kicked off on Saturday with carnival rides, traditional New Year lion and dragon dancers and unique vendors for the event.
Thousands of guests had already gathered at the event on Saturday, which was set to last until 9 p.m.
LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who was present at the city’s first Lunar New Year celebration since the pandemic, noted that the celebration would draw families back to Monterey Park year after year. “To see hundreds of thousands of people on Garvey [Ave.], to know that people could come out after the pandemic to celebrate and see family,” she said. “This was a place of welcoming.”
The festival has now been canceled by the city. Sheriff Luna noted that there would be added security at all Lunar New Year events in the area. LAPD Chief Michel Moore tweeted that additional patrols would be in place across Asian communities and the department would be meeting with event organizers.
“I encourage people to go out and enjoy the events,” Luna said during Monday’s press conference.
Local residents watch police investigate the scene of a mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 22, 2023.
Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images
What is the reaction to the shooting?
The City of Monterey Park announced that it would cancel the second day of the Lunar New Year festival, which was scheduled for Sunday, January 22, in response to the shooting. “The City expresses condolences to the individuals, families, and friends who were injured in this tragic incident,” it said in the statement Sunday morning.
A victim resource center has been set up at the Langley Senior Citizen Center for the survivors and victim’s families. Officials ask anyone who has not been able to locate a family member to reach out to the center for assistance.
President Joe Biden is aware of the shooting and was briefed by Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, according to a tweet by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Biden also directed the FBI to provide “full support” to the local police force.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said his heart was mourning as he learned more about last night’s tragedy. “Monterey Park should have had a night of joyful celebration of the Lunar New Year,” tweeted Newsom on Sunday morning. “Instead, they were the victims of a horrific and heartless act of gun violence.”
Rep. Judy Chu, who represents Monterey Park, said she is “closely following the situation.”
“My heart is broken for the victims, their families, and the people of my hometown Monterey Park who were impacted by the mass shooting that took place during a night of Lunar New Year celebrations,” Chu said on Twitter.
The Mayor of Diamond Bar, California, Andrew Chou, also tweeted about the incident Sunday.
“Our prayers are with our friends and colleagues in the great city of Monterey Park,” Chou wrote. “We stand ready to lend our support during this difficult time as we wait for more confirmed details of an alleged mass shooting incident.”
Similar support was expressed by Mayor Sasha Renee Perez of Alhambra, where a possible related incident occurred. “Our community stands ready to do whatever we can to support all those impacted,” she tweeted.
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