An unidentified man fatally shot ten people and injured at least ten others at a ballroom dance hall during a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration late on Saturday in a predominantly Asian city in Monterey Park, Los Angeles, United States before fleeing the scene, police said.
The shooter, still at large after the attack in the city of Monterey Park, was believed to be an Asian man between 30 and 50 years old based on descriptions from eyewitnesses, law enforcement officials said.
“Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives are responding to assist Monterey Park Police Department with a shooting death investigation. There are ten deceased.
“We need to get this person off the street as soon as possible,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters at a Sunday morning news conference in Monterey Park, home to one of the largest Asian American communities in the United States.
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Monterey Park, about eight miles (13 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles, is home to a large number of ethnic Asians.
The shooting was said to have come after thousands of people had gathered for a Lunar New Year festival – otherwise known as Chinese New Year – in a city of about 60,000 people with a large Asian population.
According to the US gun violence archive website, the country has 647 mass shootings in 2022.
