Gunman Kills 10 Near Lunar New Year Festival In California, Police Search For Shooter

At least 10 people were killed and ten injured when a gunman opened fire amid Lunar New Year celebrations in Southern California’s Monterey Park. 

Reuters reports that there was no immediate information about the motive for the shooting or a description of the suspect, or the kind of gun used. 

The shooting took place at 10:22 p.m. local time Saturday. LA County Sheriff Robert Luna has said that the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park left five women and five men dead and wounded another ten people. 

Monterey Park is about 7 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Search operation was underway across the Los Angeles area for the suspect.

Luna has said that early information suggests the shooter may be an Asian male. 

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Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said that it’s too early to tell whether the shooting was a hate crime because the motive remains unknown. 

Monterey Park's Lunar New Year festival, which began Saturday and was scheduled to last into Sunday, has been canceled.

According to the report, the White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the attack and had directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation to assist local police.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, the shooting in Monterey Park marks at least the 33rd mass shooting in the U.S. this month. 

Photo: courtesy of Shutterstock.