What We Know About Monterey Park Shooting that Killed at Least 10: 'Wrap Our Arms Around the Families'
On Saturday night, at least 10 people were killed and at least 10 were injured in a mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif. The shooting occurred around 10:20 p.m. inside a dance venue on West Garvey Avenue, a main drag in the Southern California city.
The attack took place on the eve of the Lunar New Year, a major holiday in many Asian communities. Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of people had gathered in the area to celebrate the holiday.
The suspect is still at large.
Here's what we know about the shooting so far:
5 Men and 5 Women Were Killed
At a Sunday morning press conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the fatal victims were five men and five women. The names of the deceased have not been released.
At least 10 people were injured in the shooting and were transported to multiple hospitals, Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said at an earlier press conference Sunday morning. The injured victims were listed in various conditions, from stable to critical.
Luna said the fatal victims were of Asian descent.
Suspect Remains at Large
Luna said that based on a "very preliminary description," the suspect is an Asian man between the ages of 30 and 50. He said law enforcement has "gotten different descriptions of the suspect."
Officials have said the suspect fled the scene, and he remains at large.
"We are utilizing every resource to apprehend this suspect in what we believe to be one of the county's most heinous cases," Luna said, adding, "We need to get this person off the street as soon as possible."
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Jae C Hong/AP/Shutterstock
"Our priority is to get to the victims, get to the survivors and wrap our arms around the families," said Luna. "Our next priority is to arrest the person who did this, charge them and get them prosecuted to the full extent to the law, no matter what the intent or motive."
Minutes After Shooting, Armed Man Entered Another Dance Venue
According to Luna, 20 to 30 minutes after the Monterey Park shooting, an armed man walked into a dance hall in the neighboring city of Alhambra, where people wrestled his weapon from him.
The man, who Luna said was Asian, subsequently fled. Police recovered a weapon from the Alhambra scene.
Luna didn't confirm if the incidents were related, but he said, "It's definitely on our radar screen."
Monterey Park Is 65% Asian
Monterey Park, in Los Angeles County, is about seven miles east of downtown Los Angeles. According to the 2020 census, has a population of about 60,000 people, 65% of whom are Asian.
The New York Times reports that in the 1990s, the city claimed to be the first city in the continental United States where the majority of residents were of Asian descent.
Officials Have Not Ruled Out Hate Crime
The motive of the shooting is not known. Officials are investigating the possibility the shooting may have been a hate crime.
"We don't know that this was a hate crime as described by law," Luna said. "Who walks into a dance hall and guns down 20 people?"
According to the California Department of Justice, hate crimes against Asian Americans in California increased 177.5% in 2021 from 2020, the Los Angeles Times reported.