At least 10 people were killed and 10 others wounded in a shooting rampage at a dance club after a Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park, California, authorities said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department issued a brief statement saying the shooting was reported at 10:22 p.m. Saturday. The gunman remained at-large
"Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide detectives are responding to assist Monterey Park Police Department with a shooting death investigation," the statement said. The initial death toll was nine; authorities later said 10 people had died.
Monterey Park is a city of 60,000 people about 10 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The shooting took place shortly after a Lunar New Year's celebration had brought thousands of people to the city, which has a majority-Asian population.
Developments:
►Sheriff’s Capt. Andrew Meyer said Sunday that the shooter was male but provided no description or motive for the carnage.
►Saturday was the start of the two-day festival, which is one of the largest Lunar New Year events in Southern California.
Some wounded in critical condition
The wounded were taken to hospitals and their conditions range from stable to critical, Meyer said. Meyer said people were “pouring out of the location screaming” when officers arrived on the scene at around 10:30 p.m. and entered the dance ballroom. Videos posted on social media showed people being loaded onto stretchers and placed into ambulances. Other photos showed bloodied and bandaged victims being treated by firefighters in a parking lot.
Shooter appeared to fire indiscriminately, witnesses says
Wong Wei, who lives nearby, told the Los Angeles Times that a friend had gone to the dance club that night with a group of friends. His friend was in the bathroom when the shooting started, Wei said. His friend came out and saw a gunman and the bodies of two women and a club manager, Wei said. The group of friends fled to Wei's home, he said.
The shooter appeared to fire indiscriminately, his friends told him.
“They don’t know why, so they run,” he told the Times.
Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year, sometimes called Chinese New Year, is celebrated in several Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, North Korea, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. Some traditions are shared, others are specific to those nations. It marks the beginning of the Lunar calendar year, and months are moon cycles.
This year the lunar year begins today, Sunday, kicking off the Year of the Rabbit. Twelve animals take turns claiming the year on a rotating basis.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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