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10 people were killed and at least 10 others were injured last night (January 21) after a gunman opened fire at a ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park, California.
The shooting happened at about 10:22 p.m. in the 100 block of West Garvey Avenue, which is about seven miles east of downtown Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Captain Andrew Meyer. At the time of this writing, there is not a lot of information on the gunman, other than that he is male and still at large. There is also no known motive. As for the weapon, a law enforcement source briefed on the matter said the gunman used a high powered assault rifle at close range.
“When officers arrived on scene, they observed numerous individuals, patrons ... pouring out of the location, screaming. The officers made entry to the location and located additional victims,” Meyer said. Firefighters pronounced 10 of the victims dead at the scene, and at least 10 others were taken to numerous local hospitals. Their conditions range from stable to critical.
Last night was Lunar New Year's Eve, and tens of thousands of people had gathered nearby for the start of a two-day Lunar New Year Festival. Meyer said investigators don't know whether the victims were targeted, adding that it's too early to know whether the shooting was a hate crime. “We will look at every angle,” he said.