January 22, 2023 Monterey Park mass shooting news

Our live coverage of the Monterey Park mass shooting has moved here.

A 72-year-old man found dead after a standoff with police has been confirmed as the person suspected of carrying out a deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park, California on Saturday night, according to police.

He is suspected of opening fire at a dance studio, killing 10 people and injuring 10 more as the city’s large Asian American community was celebrating Lunar New Year weekend.

Here’s what we know:

Members of the Monterey Park community gathered for a vigil Sunday to honor the victims of the mass shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio.

The California city is in shock after a gunman killed 10 people and injured 10 more as the city’s large Asian American community was celebrating Lunar New Year.

Authorities say a 72-year-old man suspected of the mass shooting was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after officers approached his vehicle.

It is only the 22nd day of the year and there have already been at least 36 mass shootings in the United States so far, according to the nonprofit organization Gun Violence Archive.

This means there have been more mass shootings this year than there have been days in 2023.

CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as a shooting that injured or killed four or more people, not including the shooter.

The man who fatally shot 10 people in a Southern California dance studio had once been a regular presence at the studio, even meeting his ex-wife there, three people who knew him told CNN.

Police say Huu Can Tran, 72, opened fire at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park, on Saturday night, before fatally shooting himself after a manhunt across the region on Sunday.

His ex-wife said in an interview that she had met Tran about two decades ago at Star Ballroom Dance Studio, a popular community gathering place where he gave informal lessons. Tran saw her at a dance, introduced himself, and offered her free lessons, she said.

The two married soon after they met, according to the ex-wife, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the case. While Tran was never violent to her, she said he could be quick to anger. For example, she said, if she missed a step dancing he would become upset because he felt it made him look bad. She said that after several years together, she got the impression that he had lost interest in her. Her sister, who also asked not to be named, confirmed her account. 

It was unclear how frequently Tran visited the dance hall, if at all, in recent years.

Tran filed for divorce in late 2005, and a judge approved the divorce the following year, Los Angeles court records show. 

Tran was an immigrant from China, according to a copy of his marriage license that his ex-wife showed to CNN.

A 5-minute drive from his home: Another long-time acquaintance of Tran’s also remembered him as a frequent presence at the dance studio. The friend, who also asked not to be named, was close to Tran in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, when he said Tran would make the roughly 5-minute drive from his home in San Gabriel to Star Ballroom Dance Studio “almost every night.”

Tran often complained at the time that the instructors at the dance hall didn’t like him and said “evil things about him,” the friend remembered, adding that Tran was “hostile to a lot of people there.”

More generally, Tran was easily irritated, complained a lot, and didn’t seem to trust people, the friend said.

 Tran at times worked as a truck driver, according to his ex-wife. 

Business records show that Tran registered a business called Tran’s Trucking Inc. in California in 2002. But he dissolved the business about two years later, writing in a corporate filing that the company had never acquired any known assets or incurred any known debts or liabilities.

Bought a mobile home in Hemet: In 2013, Tran sold his San Gabriel home, which he had owned for more than two decades, property records show. 

Seven years later, records show, Tran bought a mobile home in a senior citizens community in Hemet, California, an outlying suburb about 85 miles east of Los Angeles. 

Tran’s friend said he hadn’t seen Tran in several years and was “totally shocked” when he heard about the shooting. 

“I know lots of people, and if they go to Star Studio, they frequent there,” the friend said, adding that he was “worried maybe I know some of” the shooting victims.

Authorities are working to identify the victims of the shooting in Monterey Park, California, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

“Please keep in mind that especially with the deceased victims, the coroner’s office retrieved the remains not that long ago. So, they’re still in the process of identifying,” Luna told reporters Sunday. “There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done to answer a lot of questions that all of us have.”

Luna said that because the victims haven’t all been identified, he couldn’t say their exact ages, but gave a range.

“I don’t have the specific ages because they have not been identified. But they’re not in their 20s or 30s. They seem to be probably, I would say, in their 50s, 60s, and maybe some even beyond that,” Luna said.

Rep. Judy Chu, who represents Monterey Park praised local law enforcement and thanked those who reached out to her to offer support, including the White House and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Chu spoke at a news conference on Sunday evening after the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed a man found dead after a police standoff in Torrance was the same person suspected of carrying out a mass shooting in Monterey Park late Saturday. Chu thanked local law enforcement officials for their efforts in tracking the suspect.

Chu said she received calls from Mayorkas and from the White House, although she did not specify whether she spoke with President Biden. Chu also said she spoke with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

“I got calls today from the White House, from the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and from our mayor, Karen Bass,” Chu said. “All expressed concerns and offered their resources to us to make sure that we could end this terrible situation.”

Chu said the residents of Monterey Park, where she has lived for 37 years, are resilient and implored the community to “feel safe.”

“What I saw today, and what I see at this moment is indeed we are resilient, and we are stronger together,” Chu said.

Law enforcement sources tell CNN that the suspect in the Monterey Park shooting may have sought medical treatment shortly before his capture.

Police received a tip Sunday from an area hospital where a man fitting the description of the suspect came into the emergency room seeking treatment for injuries consistent with having been in a fight.

The man waited for a period of time and then left the hospital without receiving treatment. The hospital notified authorities when they saw the similarity to the wanted person depicted in photos on the sheriff’s department’s Twitter account.

A short time later, police in Torrance pulled over a white cargo van, where the Monterey Park shooting suspect was eventually found dead following a standoff.

The scene was chaotic with people trying to escape and others wounded as police officers arrived at the scene of the mass shooting Saturday night in Monterey Park, California, according to Scott Wiese, chief of the Monterey Park Police Department.

Officers got to the scene “less than 3 minutes” from when the first call was made, he said.

“The first officers on scene were some of my youngest officers. They’d only been on the street for a very short period of time,” Wiese said during a news conference Sunday.

He continued:

“When they came into the parking lot, it was chaos. There were wounded people, there were people trying to flee out all of the doors. They immediately went into action and within just a couple of minutes, those officers had entered the location looking for the suspect. That is our protocol here. We do not wait. 
“Inside, they came across a scene that none of them had been prepared for. There were injured people inside. There were dead people inside. And my young officers did their job and searched for a suspect and then came back and had to deal with the carnage that was inside. And it was extensive.
“That’s one of the reasons I need to make sure that they are OK.”

President Joe Biden issued a proclamation Sunday honoring the victims of the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, ordering flags to fly at half-staff at the White House and other federal buildings until sunset on Thursday.

  Biden said in the proclamation:

“As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on January 21, 2023, in Monterey Park, California, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, January 26, 2023.”

The gun wrestled away from the suspected Monterey Park shooter at a second location Saturday night is a Cobray M11 9mm semi-automatic, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the case.

At a news conference Sunday evening, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna described the gun as a “magazine-fed, semiautomatic assault pistol” with an extended, large-capacity magazine.

This style of firearm is designed to take 30-round magazines that allow for rapid fire without having to frequently change magazines.

In response to a reporter’s question, Luna said: “I believe the weapon … is not legal to have here in the state of California.”

The sheriff added that he still needed to consult the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for further details on the weapon’s legality.

CNN’s law enforcement source said the weapon helped lead investigators to the suspect.

They seized the weapon at a dance studio in Alhambra, California, where officials say the suspect from the Monterey Park shooting arrived within 20 to 30 minutes of the massacre. He was confronted by a group of people who disarmed him.

Detectives traced the gun and were able to obtain the suspect’s name and description, the law enforcement source said. He was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a standoff with police in Torrance, California.

Luna did not say whether authorities had confirmed that the “assault pistol” was the weapon used in the Monterey Park shooting.

The suspect in the Monterey Park mass shooting was disarmed by two people when he went to a second location on Saturday night, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

Luna had earlier disclosed that a male Asian suspect had walked into a dance hall in Alhambra and that “some individuals wrestled the firearm away from him.”

“Remember, the suspect went to the Alhambra location after he conducted the shooting (in Monterey Park), and he was disarmed by two community members who I consider to be heroes,” Luna said at a news conference Sunday. 

“They saved lives. This could’ve been much worse. The weapon that we recovered at that second scene I am describing as a magazine-fed semiautomatic assault pistol. Not an assault rifle, but an assault pistol that had an extended large capacity magazine attached to it,” he added.

Seven people remain hospitalized after a gunman opened fire at a Monterey Park, California, dance studio, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters Sunday night.

Ten people were killed in the shooting, which happened near a Lunar New Year festival celebration.

Authorities have not released the names of any of those killed or injured in the mass shooting.

Police discovered “several pieces of evidence” inside a van used by the suspect that linked him to the location of the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, on Saturday night, police said Sunday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said evidence that linked the suspect to Monterey Park, as well as to nearby Alhambra, was discovered as police searched the vehicle after the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In addition, a handgun was discovered inside the van, he said.

Luna had earlier said that a group of people wrestled a gun away from an armed man at a dance studio in Alhambra shortly after the Monterey Park shooting, and police were investigating whether the incidents were related.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said investigators have confirmed that the man found dead inside a white cargo van after a standoff with police in Torrance, California, is the same person suspected of carrying out a mass shooting in Monterey Park Saturday night.

Luna said that after the standoff, officers found the man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Luna identified the suspect as Huu Can Tran, 72.

Officials also believe Tran was the gunman disarmed by a group of people at a dance studio in Alhambra, California, shortly after the mass shooting Saturday night, the sheriff said.

Evidence found in the van where Tran died linked him to both the Alhambra and Monterey Park scenes, according to Luna, who said there are “no outstanding suspects” linked to the massacre.

A news conference with law enforcement officials to discuss the mass shooting in Monterey Park is underway at Monterey Park City Hall.

The speakers are expected to include Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, Homicide Bureau Captain Andrew Meyer and Monterey Park Chief of Police Scott Wiese, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

President Joe Biden offered his condolences following the shooting in Monterey Park, California, that killed at least 10 people Saturday night at a dance studio near a Lunar New Year festival celebration.

“While there is still much we don’t know about the motive in this senseless attack, we do know that many families are grieving tonight, or praying that their loved one will recover from their wounds,” Biden said in the statement. 

Biden acknowledged the impact on the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community as officials continue to investigate a motive. (Remember: It’s too early to say whether the massacre was a hate crime because the motive remains unknown, said Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.)

“Even as we continue searching for answers about this attack, we know how deeply this attack has impacted the AAPI community. Monterey Park is home to one of the largest AAPI communities in America, many of whom were celebrating the Lunar New Year along with loved ones and friends this weekend,” he said.

Biden reiterated that he has called for full federal support for local and state authorities. 

“As we await more crucial information from law enforcement, I want to assure the community of Monterey Park and the broader area that we will support you in every way we can,” he concluded.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the driver of the white van believed to be tied to Monterey Park ballroom shooting is dead.

Multiple law enforcement sources told The Times that the driver died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and at least two bullet holes had been visible in the driver’s-side window in the moments prior to their approaching the vehicle.   

CNN crews on the scene in Torrance have yet to see the driver removed from the van since SWAT teams made entry.  

Earlier Sunday, law enforcement sources told CNN’s John Miller that preliminary information from the ground in Torrance was that the police attempted to do a car stop of a white cargo van, which fit the description of a vehicle of interest from the Saturday night shooting in Monterey. As they commanded the occupant to exit the van, they heard and believed the driver might have shot himself. 

In the last hour, Torrance-area community leaders held a news conference and referred questions about the fate of the driver and the incident’s possible connection to the mass shooting to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office. 

Officials in Torrance, California, held a press conference Sunday after a police standoff involving a white cargo van potentially linked to the Monterey Park mass shooting.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and Torrance Mayor George Chen thanked law enforcement for their work.

When Hahn, Chen and Torrance Police Department Sgt. Ron Salary were asked about what happened, the status and whereabouts of the driver of the cargo van and the incident’s possible connection to the mass shooting, all questions were referred to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Officials in Los Angeles will hold a news conference a 4:30 p.m. PT local time (7:30 p.m. ET).

A news conference to discuss the mass shooting in Monterey Park will be held at 4:30 p.m. local time (7:30 p.m. ET) at Monterey Park City Hall, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The speakers will include Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, Homicide Bureau Captain Andrew Meyer and Monterey Park Chief of Police Scott Wiese, according to the LASD.

Leaders across the US shared messages of support for the community of Monterey Park, California, after Saturday night’s deadly mass shooting at a dance studio.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer:

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy:

“When any community cannot gather to celebrate without fear of being the victim of the next mass shooting, we have lost our way,” Murphy tweeted. “All of New Jersey stands firmly with the AAPI community in Monterey Park, CA. We cannot be a nation where such gun violence is tolerated and normalized.”

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee:

“My heart goes out to the victims, survivors, and the families affected by another senseless mass shooting,” McKee said in a message shared on social media. “Lunar New Year is supposed to be a time of celebration with friends and family, not heart break. We must do all we can to stop the scourge of gun violence in America.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker:

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee:

“Again. Another moment of celebration & community stolen by someone intent on violence & destruction,” Inslee tweeted. “This time on the eve of Lunar New Year in a community where 65% of residents are Asian American. Our hearts go out to Monterey Park as we await more info.” 

Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox:

“We mourn with the Asian American community and all those affected by the terrible tragedy in Monterey Park, CA,” Cox said in a statement. “As the investigation of this heinous crime continues, we pray for the victims and send the support of all Utahns.”

The standoff in Torrance, California, involving a white cargo van, which fit the description of a vehicle of interest from Saturday night’s shooting in Monterey Park, is over, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) tweeted.

“SEB SWAT operation for an armed suspect in Torrance has concluded. Neighborhood safe,” the bureau said.

No additional information was provided.

A law enforcement tactical team has moved in and started searching a white cargo van that was involved in a standoff with officers in Torrance, California.

Aerial video from CNN affiliate KABC showed officers approaching the van with rifles drawn. One officer was seen breaking the passenger side window, then reaching inside and opening the door. Officers then opened the side doors and started searching the vehicle.

Law enforcement sources earlier told CNN that the van is potentially linked to the Monterey Park mass shooting. Officers heard what they believed was the sound of the driver shooting himself during a standoff that started after officers pulled the van over, the sources said.

Asked about the standoff, which was still ongoing as Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna held a news conference Sunday afternoon, the sheriff said he didn’t yet know if the person in the van was the suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting at a dance studio.

Torrance is a city in Los Angeles County’s South Bay region, located about 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park.

While law enforcement officials have released a photo of the suspect in the Monterey Park, California, mass shooting, the Los Angeles County sheriff declined to publicly name him at a news conference Sunday afternoon.

Asked by reporters why he was not sharing the man’s name, Sheriff Robert Luna said:

“It is a priority to apprehend this person. And we have a lot of resources throughout this entire region, and we believe if we are putting his name out, that will inhibit our ability to potentially arrest the suspect if he’s out there — or maybe flee.”

“Please be patient with us,” Luna continued. “We’re going to keep our word that we’re going to continuously update you. Because the community, I understand, they’re thirsty for information.”

Luna said the photo was released because, “from a public safety perspective, we want people to see who this is, and then give us any information that they may have about his whereabouts.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna offered support for survivors and the families of the victims in the Monterey Park mass shooting during a news conference Sunday afternoon.

Luna said a victim resource center has been established at the community’s Langley Senior Center.

“As we’re looking for the suspect, we will not forget the victims and survivors,” Luna told reporters.

He said that workers at the resource center can help anyone still trying to reunify with a loved one who was at the dance studio where the shooting took place, and that psychological services will be offered.

Authorities don’t know if a driver of a cargo van involved in a standoff situation in Torrance, California, is linked to the Monterey Park mass shooting, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

“I want to address also that there is a tactical incident, that is occurring in the city of Torrance, that is being covered. People have asked, ‘Is that your suspect?’ We don’t know,” Luna said during a news conference.

He continued, “As I said earlier, today, we had a vehicle that was described as a white box van, I guess you would say, a van of interest. And there is a van that looks just like what was described to us in the city of Torrance. It is a barricaded suspect situation, we are working with one of our partner agencies in the Torrance Police Department to resolve that. We believe there is a person inside of that vehicle. We don’t know what their condition is but we will handle that in the safest manner that we possibly can.”

Luna went on to say that the driver of the white cargo van could possibly be the shooting suspect, “but at this point, if we are doing our jobs correctly, we are not only looking at that situation or scenario, but we are making sure that we are looking at any and every possibility.”

He asked and encouraged community members if they have any information on the shooting suspect to please come forward.

The sheriff’s office released photos of the shooting suspect earlier today on social media.

The standoff in Torrance, California, began when police tried to stop a white cargo van that fit the description of a vehicle of interest from the Saturday night shooting in Monterey Park, law enforcement sources tell CNN, citing preliminary information.

As officers gave commands for the occupant to exit the van, they heard what they believe was the sound of the driver shooting himself, the sources said.

Officers have surrounded the van, and it appears they may be moving toward a tactical approach to ensure the driver is not still alive and armed inside.

Torrance is a city in Los Angeles County’s South Bay region, located about 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has released photos of the suspect in the Monterey Park mass shooting.

Sheriff Robert Luna tweeted photos of the man and noted that investigators identified him as a homicide suspect who should be considered “armed and dangerous.”

View the tweet:

There is an ongoing police standoff in Torrance, California, that is believed to be associated with the investigation into the Monterey Park shooting, a law enforcement source tells CNN.

Torrance is a city in Los Angeles County’s South Bay region, located about 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park.

An employee at a store across the street from the standoff told CNN they were told to lockdown.

The employee said they have been on lockdown since around 11:45 a.m. local time, when a police officer came in and told them to remain inside. The employee said the entire shopping complex, which includes a PetSmart, Walmart and Hobby Lobby — in addition to other smaller stores — is locked down.

Customers and employees are currently hunkered down inside the store until they receive an all clear.

Stop AAPI Hate released a statement following the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, that killed 10 people Saturday night, calling it “a nightmare.”  

“After a day of celebration, we are waking up to a nightmare. This is devastating beyond words,” the coalition said in a Sunday news release. “We cannot imagine the pain that so many families are experiencing today.”  

“At Stop AAPI Hate, many people on our staff know this community well and feel connected to it. Our hearts are with the loved ones of all those whose lives were taken, those who were injured, and the countless others who were shaken by fear that no one should have had to experience,” the statement continues.

“This tremendous act of violence, on one of the most important days of the year for many Asian Americans, at a place where Asian American families come to gather and celebrate, is sending shockwaves through our community,” the statement continues. “As we struggle to process the pain, we must also work to prevent this from ever happening again.” 

Stop AAPI Hate describes itself as, “a national coalition addressing anti-Asian racism across the U.S.”  

While police have not disclosed any motive for the attack in Monterey Park, it has been felt deeply in the Asian American community. The city is home to one of the largest Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the US.

Five men and five women were killed in a mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, Saturday night, authorities said. The gunman remains at large.

Here are some of the scenes from around the community, located in Los Angeles County’s San Gabriel Valley, as the investigation continued Sunday:

Authorities are scrambling to find a gunman who killed 10 people Saturday night in Monterey Park, California, as the city’s large Asian American community was celebrating Lunar New Year weekend.

Another 10 people were wounded and hospitalized, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

Here’s what we know about the deadly shooting:

It’s still too soon to rule out hate crime as a possible motive for the deadly Monterey Park, California, mass shooting, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Sunday.

“We don’t know if this is specifically a hate crime defined by law,” Luna said at a briefing on the mass shooting.

The attack happened at a ballroom near a Lunar New Year event Saturday night.

“Everything’s on the table,” Luna said of the ongoing investigation. “But, who walks into a dance hall and guns down 20 people?” the sheriff questioned. 

“The description we have now is of a male Asian — does that matter? I don’t know,” said Luna. “I can tell you that everything’s on the table,” he emphasized. 

“Our detectives are looking at every possibility with our partners,” the sheriff added.

According to Luna, the sheriff’s department is working on an updated suspect description and expects to release that at some point Sunday.

He said at the briefing that investigators had received differing descriptions of the shooter from witnesses. The only other information he could provide as of late Sunday morning was that the gunman was believed to be 30 to 50 years old.

Monterey Park is a predominantly Asian community, and instructors at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio told CNN the venue was a gathering place for the local Chinese community.

Dance instructors at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California, called the venue a gathering place for the local Chinese community.

The studio hosts a variety of classes and private lessons, which instructor Oleksandr Kamniev said focus on ballroom dancing and Latin standards. The studio also rented out its ballroom space — which has an area for karaoke — for private parties.

“For parties, it’s a big thing,” Kamniev said, adding that sometimes as many as 300 people attended. “A lot of Chinese people love to come here.”

Kamniev estimated “99%” of Star’s dance students were Chinese, and ranged in age from 4 to 75. Sundays, he said, were usually kids’ days at the studio. 

According to a CNN analysis, Saturday’s mass shooting took place in the Star Ballroom Dance Studio. Ten people were killed and 10 others were wounded in the shooting, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

Kamniev and his wife, Kateryna Kamnieva, taught Latin dancing at the studio for several years. They were not present at the shooting.

Kamniev and his wife said they believed the studio owner was at the venue Saturday night. They said they reached out to her and were waiting to hear back when they spoke with CNN.

Rep. Judy Chu, who represents Monterey Park, California, praised the first responders and honored the victims of a Saturday night mass shooting that left 10 people dead.  

 “My thoughts and condolences go to the victims of this horrific crime,” Chu said.  

“This could have been so much worse — only hours earlier, all of us were together only one block away at the Lunar New Year festival,” she said, while thanking first responders and local authorities. “All of us standing right here were there, and there were thousands there.” 

“It’s horrible that such a thing could occur at a time of celebration for so many in the AAPI community and in the Asian community worldwide,” she added. “This is a time to be with family, to celebrate, and yet this tore a hole through all of our hearts.”  

Despite the tragedy, Chu, who said she’s been a resident of the area for 37 years, knows how strong the community is.  

“Monterey Park is resilient. And what I know about the people here is that we will get through this together,” the lawmaker said.

The city is a predominantly Asian community and had plans for major Lunar New Year celebrations to continue through Sunday. Those plans have been scrapped, the city said.

President Joe Biden said he is monitoring the aftermath of the mass shooting that killed 10 people in Monterey Park, California, “closely as it develops,” in Sunday morning tweet. 

“Jill and I are praying for those killed and injured in last night’s deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park,” the president said. “I’m monitoring this situation closely as it develops, and urge the community to follow guidance from local officials and law enforcement in the hours ahead.”

The White House announced earlier that the president was briefed by Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall and that he directed her to “make sure that the FBI is providing full support to local authorities,” while providing him regular updates.

The Bidens remain at their vacation home in Rehoboth Beach and are expected to return to Washington, DC, on Monday.

Authorities do not believe that an assault rifle was used by the gunman in the Monterey Park, California, mass shooting, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters at a news conference Sunday.

“In regards to the firearm, obviously there were multiple rounds fired at the first location, where we have all the victims and survivors. We don’t know how many rounds were fired. Different weapons have been described. In regards for the specific weapon, we don’t believe it was an assault rifle at this time, but again, that’s part of the investigation that we’re looking at,” he said.

Luna added that a gun from a second incident at a nearby dance studio in Alhambra was recovered by law enforcement. He said that it potentially could be linked to the Monterey Park shooting. “It absolutely could be. We don’t know yet,” he told reporters.

Luna did not specify the type of gun seized by law enforcement in Alhambra.

At that location, people were able to disarm a man who showed up with a gun, the sheriff said. The man fled, and authorities are still looking into whether that confrontation was linked to the Monterey Park attack.

The incidents happened 20 to 30 minutes apart, according to Luna.

A group of people wrestled a gun away from an armed man at a dance studio in Alhambra, California, shortly after the Monterey Park shooting Saturday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Sunday, adding that the two incidents may be related.

“We are working diligently with the Alhambra Police Department. We believe that there’s an incident that may be related. We’re not quite there yet, but it’s definitely on our radar screen where a male Asian suspect walked into a dance hall, and he walked in there with a firearm and some individuals wrestled the firearm away from him,” the sheriff said.

Luna said the Alhambra incident happened after the attack in Monterey Park, “within 20 to 30 minutes” of the mass shooting.

The sheriff’s department seized the gun that was wrestled away from the man in Alhambra. Asked if it was potentially the weapon used in the Monterey Park attack, Luna said: “It absolutely could be. We don’t know yet.”

The sheriff added that the gunman from the Alhambra incident fled in a white van, according to witnesses at the scene.

“That individual took off. Now, some witnesses in that area are describing a white cargo van. We don’t know, though, at this time if it is connected. That white van should be a van of interest at this point. Again, detectives looking at multiple locations, multiple clues,” Luna said.

The 10 people killed in Saturday night’s mass shooting at a Monterey Park dance studio were five women and five men, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Sunday.

Luna said he did not have specific details on the victims’ ages or other identifying information.

Authorities are still searching for a gunman in Saturday’s mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, where 10 people were killed and 10 others were wounded.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the gunman “remains outstanding.”

“We are here to tell you that we are utilizing every resource to apprehend this suspect, in what we believe to be the county’s most heinous cases. Our local state and federal law enforcement agencies are working together to better serve the residents here of Los Angeles County and to apprehend this attacker,” the sheriff said at a news conference Sunday.

Preliminarily, Luna said the suspect has been described as an Asian man believed to be 30 to 50 years old, but law enforcement have “gotten different descriptions of one suspect.”

Authorities are holding a news conference about a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, where at least 10 people were killed and at least 10 more wounded.

The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office has joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Monterey Park Police in the investigation.

Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives have responded to assist in the Monterey Park mass shooting investigation, the agency confirmed on social media.  

The ATF routinely provides assistance to local law enforcement in tracing the origin and owner of firearms used in crimes. The agency also conducts forensic analysis of spent ammunition shell casings left behind at crime scenes to determine the type of firearm used and whether it matches information in the ATF’s database of past gun crimes.  

A gunman killed at least 10 people and wounded at least 10 more after opening fire at a dance studio Saturday night in Monterey Park, California, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The gunman escaped and “remains outstanding,” the department said in their latest briefing.

Here’s what we know about the deadly shooting:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday morning that he is “monitoring the situation closely” after a mass shooting left at least 10 people dead and 10 others injured in Monterey Park, California.

“Monterey Park should have had a night of joyful celebration of the Lunar New Year,” the governor said in a tweet.  “Instead, they were the victims of a horrific and heartless act of gun violence. Our hearts mourn as we learn more about the devastating acts of last night.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also issued a statement, calling reports of the massacre “absolutely devastating.”

Monterey Park is located about seven miles from downtown Los Angeles.

“Families deserve to celebrate the holidays in peace — mass shootings and gun violence are a plague on our communities,” Bass said. “As investigations determine whether these murders were motivated by Asian hate, we continue to stand united against all attempts to divide us.”

Monterey Park is a predominantly Asian community, but authorities have not released any information about a potential motive for the killings. The shooting took place at a dance studio near a Lunar New Year festival.

A dance studio in Alhambra, California, said on social media that it will close in observance of a tragic mass shooting that occurred nearby in Monterey Park.

A gunman killed 10 people and wounded at least 10 more in the shooting Saturday night, according to law enforcement. Using geolocation, a CNN analysis identified the venue as Star Ballroom Dance Studio.

Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio, located in the neighboring city of Alhambra, posted on Instagram that it will be closed for the day Sunday and will cancel night classes until further notice.

The studio also noted that it will now search all students and teachers before they can enter the building.

“In observance of the tragedy at Star Dance last night, Lai Lai will be closed today. Tea and night dances are suspended until further notice. Lai Lai will reopen Monday for lessons only. As an extra precaution, all students and teachers are subject to search prior to entering the studio. Our prayers go out to all the victims families,” Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio Inc posted to its Instagram story Sunday morning.

It’s unclear if there is any specific connection between the two studios, beyond their locations within about three miles of one another.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated the studio where the mass shooting took place. It occurred at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, according to a CNN analysis.

At least 10 people are dead following a mass shooting Saturday night in Monterey Park, California. The shooting occurred at a dance studio and the suspect is still at large, according to authorities.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is “heartbroken by the horrific shooting in Monterey Park, California” in a tweet Sunday.

“At what should be a time of Lunar New Year celebration, the scourge of gun violence has struck yet another community — we must put an end to these senseless tragedies,” the governor added.

The massacre happened at a dance studio as a Lunar New Year festival took place nearby. Police have not yet shared specific details about the nature of the gathering at the studio.

Monterey Park canceled its Lunar New Year events scheduled for Sunday.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the mass shooting that killed at least 10 people and left at least 10 more wounded in Monterey Park, California, Saturday night, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted.

“The President has been briefed by the Homeland Security Advisor on the mass shooting in Monterey Park. 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 Sunday.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland have also received details on the shooting.

“The Vice President has been briefed on the mass shooting in Monterey Park, CA and asked to be updated regularly as more details are known,” Kirsten Allen, Harris’ press secretary, tweeted Sunday morning.

CNN’s Jasmine Wright contributed to this report.

The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office is working with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau, the Monterey Park Police and other agencies as they investigate the mass shooting that killed at least 10 people on Saturday night.

The sheriff’s “Homicide Bureau is working closely with Chief Scott Wiese and his agency at the Monterey Park Police Department,” LASD Homicide Capt. Andrew Meyer said Sunday.

“We’re working with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, The Federal Bureau of Investigation LA office and numerous other law enforcement agencies,” he added.  

Saturday’s mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, took place in the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, according to a CNN analysis.

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Capt. Andrew Meyer said in a news conference the shooting took place in a local business in the 100 block of West Garvey Avenue in downtown Monterey Park. He later identified the business as a dance studio.

CNN geolocated a photo taken Saturday evening just after the shooting, posted on social media, from inside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio.

In that photo, at least two individuals are seen lying on the ground. Another individual is seen slumped, sitting on a couch.  

The Monterey Park community is 65.6% Asian, according to 2020 data from the city’s website.

The city has 61,096 residents, according to the website, which provides the following demographic breakdown:

Asian 65.6%

Hispanic or Latino 28.5%

White 14%

Other race: 4.9%

Two or More Races: 1.8%

Black: 0.7%

The median age in the neighborhood is 43.1, the website adds.

It ‘s too early in the investigation to know if the suspect knew any of the victims or if this was a targeted shooting, police said.

“We will look at every angle as far as whether it’s a hate crime or not. It’s just too early in the investigation to know,” said Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Saturday night’s mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, happened near a Lunar New Year festival celebration. The event that was scheduled to be extended into Sunday is now canceled, according to Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Weise.

“The festival that occurred Saturday also extended to Sunday. Out of an abundance of caution and reverence for the victims, we are canceling the event that’s going to happen later today. The Lunar festival here in Monterey Park has been canceled,” he told reporters at a news conference.

The mass shooting that left at least 10 dead happened at a dance location in Monterey Park, California, according to Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

CNN spoke to people on the scene, and CNN reporter Camila Bernal reported: “I talked to witnesses here on the scene who told me that this is a popular dance club. People regularly come here on the weekends. We also know that they were celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year. So as these celebrations were going on, these shots rang out.”

When asked if there was any other location, Meyer said police are aware of another incident in Alhambra, California, which neighbors Monterey Park, and they are investigating if it is connected to the mass shooting in Monterey Park.

This is where Monterey Park is located in California

The suspect’s motive is unclear in the mass shooting that left at least 10 dead in Monterey Park, California, according to Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Meyer did not provide a description of the suspect at a news conference.

“All they are saying is that it was a man who was here last night at around 10:22 p.m. and began shooting,” CNN’s Camila Bernal reported.

“All I can tell you is that it was a firearm that was used,” Meyer told reporters, but did not provide any details on the type of weapon used.

At least 10 people have died in the mass shooting that happened late Saturday night in Monterey Park, California, according to Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“The Monterey Park Fire Department responded to the scene and treated the injured. And pronounced 10 of the victims deceased at the scene,” he said.

At least 10 other victims are in the hospital following the incident, he added. “There are at least 10 additional victims that were transported to numerous local hospitals and are listed in various conditions from stable to critical.”

The mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, happened at 10:22 p.m. PT on Saturday, according to Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“Officers from the Monterey Park Police Department responded to a local business in the 100 block of West Garvey Avenue in the city of Monterey Park regarding a shots fired call,” he told reporters Sunday.

“When officers arrived on scene, they observed numerous individuals, patrons of the location pouring out of the location, screaming,” he added. “The officers made entry to the location and located additional victims.”

The suspect in the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, “fled the scene and remains outstanding,” said Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

He urged anyone with information regarding this incident to “call LA sheriff’s homicide at 323-890-5500. Or if you prefer to remain anonymous, call crime stoppers at 800-222-8477.”

The shooting happened near the area of Monterey Park’s Lunar New Year festival, which was scheduled to take place until 9 p.m. local time on Garvey Avenue, between Garfield and Alhambra avenues.

Past Lunar New Year events in the city have drawn crowds estimated at over 100,000 people from across Southern California, according to the city. It’s unclear how many people were still gathered in the area when shots were fired.

At least nine people were killed in a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The shooting incident occurred late Saturday night.

A law enforcement press conference is expected Sunday morning, according to CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS.

Homicide detectives are responding to a reported shooting that took place late Saturday night in Monterey Park, California, according to a spokesperson with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office.

There are multiple casualties in the shooting incident, according to the Los Angeles Times, citing law enforcement sources. 

According to CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS, a law enforcement press conference is expected Sunday morning.

Monterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County’s San Gabriel Valley, approximately seven miles from downtown Los Angeles.