Twenty people were shot at a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration in Los Angeles last night, with 10 succumbing to their injuries.
Reports from NBC News is that the gunman opened fire in the midst of the celebration in Southern California’s Asian American enclave of Monterey Park.
The motive for the shooting is still not clear, and the suspect is still at large, according to Capt. Andrew Meyer from the department’s homicide division at a news conference held early this morning.
“Investigators are working every lead on this case,” he was quoted as saying.
The shooting happened at a ballroom dance studio, and authorities are now reviewing closed-circuit TV footage from near the scene, the police note.
Ten people were killed at the venue, and at least 10 people had been taken to the hospital with “critical to stable injuries,” Meyer told the conference.
“As far as the suspect knowing any of the victims, it’s too early in the investigation to know that,” he reportedly said.
The shooting came after thousands of people had gathered for a Lunar New Year festival in Monterey Park, a small city of about 60,000 people that has a large Asian population. It is about 10 miles east of Los Angeles.
