What we know about the Monterey Park mass shooting

Ten people were killed and at least 10 others were injured in a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California on Saturday night, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department.

Driving the news: The shooting took place at a ballroom dance studio around 10:22 p.m. Saturday night, and the suspected shooter remains at large, Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department told reporters Sunday morning.

• “When officers arrived on scene, they observed numerous individuals, patrons of the location, pouring out of the location, screaming. The officers made entry to the location and located additional victims,” Meyer said.
• The Monterey Park Fire Department treated the injured and pronounced 10 victims deceased at the scene. At least 10 other wounded victims were transported to local hospitals, their conditions ranging from stable to critical condition, he added.

State of play: Little is known about the suspected shooter, who fled the scene and remains at large.

• Meyer said no description of the suspect shooter was available and no details regarding the weapon used, beyond that it was a firearm.
• No known motive is known yet, Meyer said.
• Law enforcement said it is aware of another incident in the neighboring town of Alhambra. “We have investigators on scene trying to determine if there’s a connection between these two incidents,” Meyer said. No one was injured in Alhambra.

President Biden has been briefed on the shooting by the Homeland Security Advisor, Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Sunday.

• “He directed her to make sure that the FBI is providing full support to local authorities, and to update him regularly today as more details are known,” Jean-Pierre wrote on Twitter.

The big picture: Monterey Park, located east of Los Angeles, is a majority Asian American city in the San Gabriel Valley that is home to an array of Asian American supermarkets and restaurants, the Los Angeles Times reported.

• It is too early in the investigation to ascertain whether the suspected shooter knew any of the victims or if the attack was targeted, Meyer said.
• “We will look at every angle, as far as whether it’s a hate crime or not, it’s too early in the investigation to know whether this incident was a hate crime or not,” he added.
• Monterey Park was hosting a two-day Lunar New Year celebration this weekend. The city’s annual Lunar New Year celebration is one of the largest in Southern California, per AP.

• The festivities that had been planned for Sunday have been canceled “out of an abundance of caution and in reverence for the victims,” Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese told reporters.

What they’re saying: “Monterey Park should have had a night of joyful celebration of the Lunar New Year. Instead, they were the victims of a horrific and heartless act of gun violence,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Sunday.

• “Our hearts mourn as we learn more about the devastating acts of last night. We are monitoring the situation closely,” he added.
• “The reports coming out of Monterey Park are absolutely devastating. Families deserve to celebrate the holidays in peace — mass shootings and gun violence are a plague on our communities,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tweeted Sunday.
• “As investigations determine whether these murders were motivated by Asian hate, we continue to stand united against all attempts to divide us. My heart goes out to Monterey Park and the families and friends of those lost,” Bass continued.
• “My heart is broken for the victims, their families, and the people of my hometown Monterey Park who were impacted by the mass shooting that took place during a night of Lunar New Year celebrations,” Rep. Judy Chu tweeted Sunday.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.