Ten people were killed and at least 10 others were wounded in a mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, police said.
The gunman has not yet been located. A detailed description was not yet available, but the suspect is believed to be a man.
Authorities said the shooting happened just after 10 p.m. Saturday. The suspect entered a ballroom dance facility on West Garvey Avenue and opened fire.
A Lunar New Year celebration was underway nearby, but the shooting did not happen at the festival, authorities said.
When deputies arrived, people were running out of the dance hall, officials said during a news conference. There is possibly a second incident tied to the mass shooting in nearby Alhambra.
The motive is not yet known, and it was unclear if the suspect knew the victims. The injured victims were rushed to area hospitals and were in various conditions from stable to critical.
The FBI has responded to assist. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted that President Biden was briefed on the shooting.
The President has been briefed by the Homeland Security Advisor on the mass shooting in Monterey Park. He directed her to make sure that the FBI is providing full support to local authorities, and to update him regularly today as more details are known.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) January 22, 2023
Monterey Park is a small community of approximately 61,000 people, and it’s a predominantly Asian community. The city was hosting the Monterey Park Lunar New Year Festival this weekend, marking the beginning of the Chinese lunar calendar. The annual two-day street festival is widely attended, with previous celebrations drawing as many as 100,000 daily visitors, according to the city. Saturday’s events were scheduled to finish at 9 p.m.
The festival has been canceled for Sunday. Anyone with information is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call Crime Stoppers by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477).