California shooting: At least 12 dead in California shooting, a crowd celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year
The Los Angeles Times reported that dozens of police officers reacted to a gunshot that was reported from a hamlet in California, where tens of thousands of people had just completed celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year. Numerous casualties are anticipated, although officials have not given any specifics. The California shooting incident happened in Monterey Park, a community of around 60,000 people, which is about 10 miles (16 km) outside of downtown Los Angeles and has a sizable Asian population.
The owner of a seafood BBQ restaurant across the street from the scene of the shooting, Seung Won Choi, told the Los Angeles Times that three people barged in and demanded he shut the door. Choi said that they informed him that the gunman was armed with a machine gun that could hold many rounds of ammo and that the incident allegedly occurred at a dance club. At this point, it is unclear how the shooter is doing. The LA Times was informed by law enforcement sources that at least 12 people had passed away.
BREAKING: I am in Monterey Park where there are reports of at least ten people shot at a Lunar New Year event. Very little info and I’m still headed to the primary scene. Monterey Park PD & Alhambra PD are on scene. More soon. pic.twitter.com/ewFho0Joju
— Emily Holshouser (@emilyytayylor) January 22, 2023
According to M. McClendon, a female sheriff’s officer, the gunshot was “an isolated event,” according to a local news source, City News Service. Social media images from the site depict a barren junction with one portion roped off and police sirens in the distance. In other pictures, you can see people getting medical care on the side of the road or being taken to nearby hospitals in ambulances.
When Edwin Chen, a 47-year-old delivery dispatcher, heard the news, he hurried over from Woodland Hills. In Monterrey Park, around a dozen family members and acquaintances reside. He claimed to have heard reports of a machine gunner carrying a number of rounds of ammo.
#UltimoMinuto – TIROTEO MASIVO EN MONTERREY PARK, LOS ÁNGELES, CA
— Geo Gonzalez 🇸🇻🇺🇸 (@GeoGonzalezES) January 22, 2023
Información preliminar da a conocer 10 Muertos y 9 heridos en tiroteo masivo que sucedió poco antes de la media noche en Los Angeles, CA. El número de decesos podría aumentar ya que hay heridos de gravedad. pic.twitter.com/atHZKOKGHy
An official in the Los Angeles government named City Controller Kenneth Mejia tweeted that his “heart goes out to those who lost loved ones tonight” in the “mass massacre.”
“Monterey Park is home to one of the largest Asian communities in Los Angeles County, and many were out celebrating the Lunar New Year,” he added.