On Saturday night, during a Lunar New Year celebration, a male suspect opened fire on a ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park, California, killing at least 10 people and injuring many others.
During a press conference on Sunday morning, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated that the suspect had fled the scene after the shooting, and was still at large as of early afternoon.
"Our very preliminary description has been described as a male Asian, and that's from the scene here in Monterey Park," Luna said, going on to highlight that interviews with those at the scene have given conflicting descriptions.
"We are utilizing every resource to apprehend this suspect in what we believe to be one of the county's most heinous cases," Luna added.
NEW: Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna says the suspect in the Monterey Park shooting still hasn't been arrested with witnesses providing "different descriptions of one suspect."
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 22, 2023
"We are utilizing every resource to apprehend this suspect," Luna says. pic.twitter.com/NQXHyHoDnO
"There's a lot more that we don't know than we know, at this time," Luna said, with the Los Angeles Times' coverage of the shooting adding that law enforcement feel it is "too early to tell whether the festival was connected to the shooting." Included in their coverage is that investigations determined that the shooter "used a high-powered assault rifle at close range" and that several witnesses reported seeing a white cargo van, which is factoring in to their search.
"It's difficult to believe that it happened here in Monterey Park," said Henry Lo, the city's mayor. "We want to express our condolences to the victims and their families."
"It's difficult to believe that it happened here in Monterey Park," said Henry Lo, the city's Mayor. "We want to express our condolences to the victims and their families."
— KCAL News (@CBSLA) January 22, 2023
Continuing coverage here: https://t.co/TjSCvk2Y2O pic.twitter.com/wzAnF99ihh
According to AP News, the suspect "may have tried — but failed — to target a second dance hall," citing law enforcement sources.
"I thought maybe it was fireworks. I thought maybe it had something to do with Lunar New Year," a bystander named Tony Lai said to AP news. "And we don't even get a lot of fireworks here. It's weird to see this. It's really safe here. We're right in the middle of the city, but it's really safe."
