Ten dead in gunfire near Los Angeles

by time news

BAt least 10 people were killed and 10 others injured in a gun attack in California late Saturday night. According to police, a gunman fired in a performance hall at a dance school in the city of Monterey Park near Los Angeles, killing five women and five men. The perpetrator was still at large on Sunday afternoon. There is no information yet on the man’s motive. According to the police, eyewitnesses describe him differently, but it is probably an “Asiatic man between 30 and 50 years of age”.

Sofia Dreisbach

North American political correspondent based in Washington.

According to the census, 65 percent of the approximately 61,000 inhabitants of Monterey Park are of Asian origin. Near the scene of the crime, tens of thousands celebrated the Lunar New Year on Saturday evening, the beginning of the year in Asia. Monterey Park traditionally celebrates this holiday with a two-day festival, one of the largest in the region. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said on Sunday afternoon that investigations are still being carried out in all directions. A racist crime cannot be ruled out either.

An officer previously described how, upon arriving at the scene, police saw “numerous people pouring out of the bar screaming.” Ten people were found dead inside. The friend of an eyewitness told the Los Angeles Times that she was in the bathroom when the first shots were fired. When she returned to the hall, she saw the shooter and three lifeless people. One is said to have been the owner of the dance school. The perpetrator fired indiscriminately into the crowd.

“Probably not an assault rifle”

The police have not yet given any precise information about the weapon used by the perpetrator; the eyewitness reports also differed in this case. It’s still under investigation, but it was “probably not an assault rifle,” District Sheriff Luna said on Sunday. It has not yet been clarified how often the perpetrator fired. Eyewitnesses had previously reported to American media about a man with a semi-automatic weapon and lots of ammunition. The dance school should be a place in the neighborhood that is often used for meetings.

Police say they are investigating a possible link to a second incident Saturday night in Alhambra, a town neighboring Monterey Park. There, those present in another dance school, four kilometers from the later crime scene, are said to have succeeded in disarming a “male, Asian-born” attacker. However, he was then able to escape. This year marks the first time that the Lunar New Year has been an official holiday in the state of California.

In the United States, there are repeated gun attacks with many deaths. The attack in the town of Monterey Park comes less than a week after two gunmen stormed a home in Tulare County, California, shooting dead six people, including a 16-year-old mother and her 10-month-old child. The police suspect gang violence in this case.

You may also like

Leave a Comment