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Man in white van, a possible suspect in mass shooting, is dead
The man inside a white cargo van in Torrance was described as “possibly” being a suspect in the Monterey Park mass shooting was found dead Sunday, two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies had surrounded the vehicle for more than an hour before they eventually broke a window. An aerial feed from NBC Los Angeles showed law enforcement opening the van doors and entering the vehicle minutes later.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said earlier Sunday that he could not confirm whether the man was the gunman his agency was looking for. The white van matched the description of the vehicle involved in an incident in nearby Alhambra.
Patrons of a dance hall in adjacent Alhambra wrestled a firearm away from a man who walked inside about 20 minutes after the shooting in Monterey Park. Luna said he believed the two incidents were connected but did not rule out any other possibilities.
Dignity Health Southern California division received two Monterey Park shooting victims
Dignity Health’s Southern California division received two Monterey Park shooting victims, said Christina Zicklin, a spokesperson.
“One has been discharged, and the other is in stable condition,” Zicklin said.
The medical center shared no other information about the victims because of HIPAA privacy laws.
SWAT operation on white van in Torrance finished, authorities say
The operation that SWAT agents and members of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Enforcement Bureau were carrying out on a white van in the city of Torrance, about 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park, is complete, authorities said just after 1:30 p.m. PT Sunday, a little over two hours after officers first surrounded the van.
“Neighborhood safe,” the Special Enforcement Bureau tweeted along with images from what appears to be a local news helicopter, showing sheriff’s vehicles and officials surrounding the white van and entering it.
Authorities said Sunday morning they were looking for a white van that fled Alhambra, where they believed an incident connected to the mass shooting occurred, in which a gunman entered a dance hall and people there wrestled his firearm away. The gunman fled.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters Sunday afternoon that a person was barricaded in the van police were surrounding in Torrance but did not confirm whether it was the suspect.
Alhambra officials release statement on Monterey Park shooting
Alhambra officials released a statement on the Monterey Park shooting early Sunday evening.
“The City of Alhambra, the Alhambra Police Department, and the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce extend our support to the Monterey Park community in the wake of the tragic events that occurred on the night of January 21st,” the statement read. “We send our thoughts and prayers to the victims.”
Officials also acknowledged the shooting that occurred in the city after the Monterey Park shooting.
“We also acknowledge those who stepped in here in Alhambra to disarm an individual threatening our own community. As always, we send our deep appreciation to the first responders those who rushed in to help with this horrific event and continue to be present for our community.”
“We feel the pain many of our residents are experiencing, and we will continue to work to support the whole community.”
Stop AAPI Hate: ‘This is devastating beyond words’
Stop AAPI Hate, which tracks and responds to violence, harassment and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S., said in a tweet the Monterey Park mass shooting is “devastating beyond words.”
The group characterized the shooting — which unfolded during the start of Lunar New Year — as the latest incident in a yearslong spike in anti-Asian violence.
“Our community has faced so much tragedy and trauma over the last several years. 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 said.
Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by more than 330% from 2020 to 2021, and a report Stop AAPI Hate released last summer found that there had been almost 11,500 anti-Asian incidents since March 2020, the majority constituting harassment and less than 20% consisting of physical assaults.
In March 2021, a shooter killed eight people — six of whom were Asian women — at Atlanta-area spas. The shooter is serving four life sentences after having pleaded guilty to four of the murders.
Stop AAPI Hate also called for action to reduce gun violence and “prevent this from ever happening again.”
Law enforcement break van window in Torrance
Authorities have broken a window to gain access inside the white cargo van they have surrounded in Torrance, according to video from NBC Los Angeles.
An aerial feed showed law enforcement opened the doors to the van and entered the vehicle.
The white van, which matches the description of the vehicle a possible suspect fled Alhambra in, was pulled over earlier Sunday by Torrance police. A large law enforcement presence surrounded the vehicle for more than an hour.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna did not confirm whether the suspect was inside but said a person was barricaded in the van.
Sheriff: Someone called in threat to hospital treating victims
Someone earlier Sunday called in a threat to a hospital where some of the 10 injured victims are being treated, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, describing the incident as “absolutely horrible.”
Luna said the caller said “something along the lines [of] that they want to go and finish the job.”
He said he was sharing the anecdote with reporters to explain why authorities were sharing minimal details about the victims, including where most of them are being treated.
“These victims and survivors are dealing with so much. Let’s not traumatize them more,” Luna said.
Incidents in Monterey Park and Alhambra are likely connected, sheriff says
Authorities believe the mass shooting in Monterey Park and another incident about 20 minutes later in the nearby city of Alhambra, in which an Asian man reportedly entered a dance hall with a firearm before people inside wrestled it from him, are connected, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Luna said the image of the suspect they released to the public earlier was from the Alhambra location.
He added that authorities believe the shooter did not use a high-powered assault rifle, but he declined to provide more specific information.
Authorities ‘withholding the name’ of suspect whose photo they released earlier
Authorities are withholding the name of the suspect whose photo they released earlier as they continue to try to track him down, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters Sunday afternoon.
“It is a priority to apprehend this person, and we have a lot of resources throughout this entire region, and we believe if we’re putting his name out, that will inhibit our ability to potentially arrest the suspect if he’s out there, or maybe flee,” Luna said.
He added authorities released his photo “because from a public safety perspective we want people to see who this is and give us any information they may have about his whereabouts.”
Luna said authorities are investigating “every angle” — including whether there may be additional suspects, multiple weapons, and whether the incident may have been motivated by domestic violence or a hate crime.
L.A. County sheriff: ‘We don’t know’ whether person in white van is shooting suspect
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters Sunday afternoon that authorities “don’t know” whether the person inside the white van Torrance police pulled over is the suspect they are searching for.
Luna said it is a “barricaded suspect situation”: “We believe there is a person inside of that vehicle. We don’t know their condition. … We’re going to handle that in the safest manner we possibly can to try and identify that person.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: ‘My heart breaks for the people of Monterey Park’
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to be the first world leader to react to the mass shooting in Monterey Park, tweeting earlier Sunday: “My heart breaks for the people of Monterey Park, California — whose Lunar New Year celebrations were violently attacked and whose lives have been forever changed. I’m sending my condolences to the families and friends of the victims, and I’m keeping the injured in my thoughts.”
Memorial honoring victims set up at Monterey Park City Hall
A memorial honoring the victims of the Monterey Park mass shooting has been set up at City Hall “for anyone wanting to mourn,” Monterey police said in a statement.
That’s the location where authorities have been briefing reporters on the latest updates in the investigation.
Police release pictures to identify Monterey Park shooting suspect
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has released pictures seeking to identify the Monterey Park shooting suspect.
The sheriff’s department described the suspect as an Asian male, 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds. Three pictures of the suspect were shared in which he is wearing a black leather jacket, a hat and glasses.
Law enforcement has connected him to the Monterey Park shooting and a shooting minutes later in Alhambra.
“Investigators have identified him as a homicide suspect and he should be considered armed and dangerous,” the sheriff’s department says in the news release, asking anyone with information to come forward.
Police surround potential suspect in white cargo van
A large police presence responded to a white cargo van Torrance police pulled over Sunday, multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said earlier that a man involved in a possibly connected incident at a dance hall in Alhambra fled in a white cargo van.
Patrons of the Alhambra dance hall wrestled a firearm away from a man about 20 minutes after the Monterey Park shooting.
News conference slated for 11:45 a.m. PT/2:45 p.m. ET
Authorities will host a news conference at 11:45 a.m. PT/2::45 p.m. ET related to the Monterey Park mass shooting, they announced approximately 25 minutes in advance.
Dept. of Homeland Security working with authorities to investigate
The Department of Homeland Security is working with federal, state and local authorities to investigate the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, according to a statement from the secretary of homeland security.
“We mourn the tragic loss of lives in Monterey Park, California. We pray for the full and swift recovery of those injured in the shooting,” Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tweeted. “The Department of Homeland Security is fully engaged with our federal, state, and local partners in responding to this horrible shooting.”
“As a former United States Attorney for the California jurisdiction that includes Monterey Park, I know the community well and I feel the suffering of its residents very personally,” Mayorkas added.
Four victims are being treated at LAC+USC Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center
Four of the 10 victims are being treated at LAC+USC Medical Center, CEO Jorge Orozco said in a statement.
The hospital is a Level 1 trauma center “with medical personnel extensively experienced in providing exceptional care in gun related tragedies,” the statement said.
Orozco declined to provide further details about the victims’ conditions, citing HIPAA, the federal patient privacy law.
“However, we want to assure the families of those at our LAC+USC Medical Center that our medical teams are doing everything possible to care for their loved ones,” the statement added.
Leaders across the country lament Monterey Park shooting
Leaders across the country lamented the latest mass shooting Sunday as more information trickled out from authorities, with many politicians expressing solidarity with the Asian community.
Authorities have not released a possible motive in the shooting and have said it’s too early to determine whether it was racially motivated as they search for a suspect.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted that she was “heartbroken by the horrific shooting.”
“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,” Hochul said.
Also in New York, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, wrote: “We must stand up to bigotry and hate wherever they rear their ugly heads, and we must keep working to stop gun violence.”
Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., called the incident a “tragedy,” adding that she is “keeping the victims and their loved ones in my thoughts, and I thank the first responders for their hard work.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James said: “New York is with you, and I’m praying for the families who lost their loved ones and for the recovery of those who were injured.”
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York wrote that he was “deeply saddened and horrified” by the mass shooting, adding, “We must crush the rise of hatred and intolerance whenever and wherever it is found.”
Some called for swift action on gun control.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-M.d., called the shooting “another staggering heartbreak from the killing fields of gun violence, adding, “And let’s do what needs to be done in Congress, people. NRA, get the hell out of the way.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said the shooting “is the latest horrible reminder that Congress must act boldly and NOW to protect our people from gun violence.”
USC Pacific Asia Museum cancels Lunar New Year Festival due to Monterey Park shooting
The University of Southern California’s Pacific Asia Museum has canceled its Lunar New Year Festival planned for Sunday because of the Monterey Park shooting, it said in a statement.
The festival was meant to take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT, featuring a lineup of cultural performances, the museum said on Facebook.
USC’s Pacific Asia Museum, about a 20-minute drive west of Monterey Park, was established in 1971, and its mission is “to further intercultural understanding through the arts of Asia and the Pacific Islands,” according to its website. The museum serves Los Angeles and Greater Southern California.
L.A., New York, Chicago up security at Lunar New Year events
Los Angeles, New York and Chicago are ramping up their police presences at Lunar New Year events Sunday — the second day of celebrations — after the Monterey Park shooting, officials said.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said the department has “added patrols across our Asian communities today and will meet with any organizers hosting New Year celebrations.” He also said authorities were working with other local officials, including Monterey Park police.
“Such a tragic loss of life and a dark day,” Moore added in a tweet.
Los Angeles is about 8 miles west of Monterey Park.
A New York police spokesperson said that “while there are no identified threats to New York City stemming from this incident, out of an abundance of caution, we have shifted our counterterrorism and patrol resources and will have an adequate security presence at Lunar New Year events and throughout the city.”
An annual Lunar New Year firecracker ceremony and cultural festival was planned for Sunday afternoon in Chinatown.
In Chicago, a police spokesperson said that “while there is no actionable intelligence here at this time, the CPD will adjust resources as necessary surrounding official Lunar New Year celebration events.”
A Philadelphia police spokesperson did not specify whether the police department would be increasing security but said police officials meet with other agency representatives before events “to discuss action plans,” adding that authorities “will have adequate staffing at [Lunar New Year] events and throughout the city.”
Vice President Kamala Harris on Monterey Park shooting: ‘This violence must stop’
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the Monterey Park shooting in a speech Sunday in Tallahassee, Florida.
“I do want to address the tragedy that happened in my home state in Monterey Park, California,” she said. “A time of a cultural celebration. And yet another community has been torn apart by senseless gun violence.”
Harris said that “this violence must stop” and that she is praying for those who were injured and grieving for those “whose lives are forever changed.”
“And President Biden and I in our administration will continue to provide full support to the local authorities as we learn more,” she said.
Sheriff: ‘We don’t believe it was an assault rifle’
Authorities said specific details about the firearm used in the attack remain sparse, but that they “don’t believe it was an assault rifle” at this time.
“Different weapons had been described, in regards to the specific weapon, we don’t believe it was an assault rifle at this time — but again, that part of the investigation we’re looking at,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
He added that there had been “multiple rounds fired” in Monterey Park, but that authorities hadn’t yet determined exactly how many.
Incident in nearby city of Alhambra, where people wrestled firearm from gunman who fled, ‘may be related’
Authorities are looking into a seemingly similar incident in the nearby city of Alhambra that “may be related” to the mass shooting in Monterey Park, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters.
In that incident, which Luna said unfolded 17 to 20 minutes after the Monterey Park shooting, an armed Asian man walked into a dance hall before some of the dozens of people there wrestled the firearm away from him and he fled.
Authorities are considering a white cargo van described by some witnesses as “a van of interest,” Luna said.
Alhambra is about 2 miles south of Monterey Park and also has a sizable Asian and immigrant population.
“Are they connected? Honestly, we don’t know the answer to that yet,” Luna said of the incidents in the two cities.
Luna said local authorities are working with Alhambra police.
Officials: Injured victims in ‘various conditions’; investigation will take ‘days if not months’
The 10 victims injured in the Monterey Park shooting are in “various conditions,” ranging from stable to critical, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters Sunday.
Official said the investigation into the shooting will take “days if not months” as they continue to search for the suspect and analyze the incident.
The city of Monterey Park canceled the second day of its Lunar New Year Festival, slated for Sunday, “as a precaution and for the safety of everyone,” the city’s statement said.
Luna urged people to continue to celebrate Lunar New Year elsewhere.
Rep. Judy Chu, whose district includes Monterey Park, said she “can’t even imagine that such a thing would happen in this community.”
“I hope we can make a determination as to whether this was a hate crime,” said Chu, who also served Monterey Park as a three-time mayor, according to her website.
“Monterey Park is resilient, and what I know about the people here is that we will get through this together,” she said.
Suspect at large described as Asian male, according to ‘preliminary description’
The suspect in the Monterey Park shooting who fled the scene and remains at large has been preliminarily described as an Asian male between the age of 30 to 50, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Sunday morning.
“Our very preliminary description has been described as a male Asian,” Luna said. “We’ve gotten different descriptions of one suspect, so when I say it’s preliminary, please be patient with us.”
Luna said later that officials “should be putting out a better description here in next several hours.”
“We don’t know if this is specifically a hate crime defined by law, but who walks into a dance hall and guns down 20 people? The description we have now is of a male Asian. Does that matter? I don’t know. I can tell you everything is on the table,” Luna said.
The sheriff added that officials “are utilizing every resource to apprehend this suspect and what we believe to be one of the county’s most heinous cases.”
President Biden: ‘Jill and I are praying’ for Monterey Park victims
President Biden expressed his condolences for the victims in a statement released Sunday morning and said residents should follow official guidance.
“Jill and I are praying for those killed and injured in last night’s deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park,” Biden tweeted.
“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.”
Local leaders react: ‘We must act to end the scourge of gun violence’
As the West Coast wakes up to news of another mass shooting, California leaders and Monterey Park officials condemned the latest assault and offered their thoughts and prayers to the victims.
“During a time for celebration of Lunar New Year, gun violence has tragically struck in Monterey Park. My prayers are with the victims & their loved ones who woke up to a nightmare today,” Sen. Alex Padilla said in a tweet. “This is yet another painful reminder of why we must act to end the scourge of gun violence.”
Rep. Judy Chu, a former three time Mayor of Monterey Park and currently the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus whose district includes Monterey Park, said: “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. I am closely following the situation.”
“Lunar New Year is a time of celebration, love and prosperity,” state Sen. Susan Rubio said. “I’m shocked and saddened for our community’s loss.”
State Assembly member Mike Fong tweeted: “Our hearts are broken on a day meant for celebration and community.”
In a statement, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said, “It was heartbreaking to wake up to another mass shooting, this time at a Lunar New Year celebration.”
“What should have been a joyous event ended in tragedy due to senseless gun violence,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families whose lives were shattered by the latest incident in our nation’s epidemic of gun violence. Enough is enough. We must do more to stop these mass shootings.”
Photos: Investigators on scene the morning after mass shooting
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass: ‘Mass shootings and gun violence are a plague’
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called news of the Monterey Park shooting “absolutely devastating” in a statement Sunday morning.
“Families deserve to celebrate the holidays in peace — mass shootings and gun violence are a plague in 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. My heart goes out to Monterey Park and the families and friends of those lost.”
Los Angeles is about 8 miles west of Monterey Park.
Gun violence prevention advocates react: ‘We cannot live this way’
Gun violence prevention groups and advocates decried the Monterey Park shooting — the 33rd mass shooting so far this year, according to independent research group Gun Violence Archive — as the latest example of the scourge of gun violence in America.
Everytown for Gun Safety, the country’s largest gun safety group, founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and fellow advocacy group Moms Demand Action, said in a tweet: “Our hearts are with the victims, survivors, their loved ones, and the entire community. What should have been a joyous celebration ended in gunfire. We do not have to live and die like this. Everyone deserves to feel safe and not fear gun violence.”
Moms Demand Action, the grassroots group founded by advocate Shannon Watts, shared a similar statement.
“It is devastating to live in a country where we have to continually wake up to this horrific news,” Kris Brown, president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said in a statement. “It is even more egregious that it has become normal for people to be gunned down in the middle of a joyous holiday celebration.”
March for Our Lives, the organization founded after the Parkland school shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, tweeted: “Safe spaces DO NOT exist! Not to celebrate. Not to be in community. Not to live as who we are, free of fear. We are devastated for this loss — which appears to be hate-fueled towards our AAPI siblings & is the deadliest mass shooting since Uvalde. WE CANNOT LIVE THIS WAY”
California Gov. Newsom: ‘Our hearts mourn’
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the Monterey Park shooting “a horrific and heartless act of gun violence” in a tweet Sunday morning.
“Monterey Park should have had a night of joyful celebration of the Lunar New Year,” Newsom wrote.
“Our hearts mourn as we learn more about the devastating acts of last night. We are monitoring the situation closely,” he said.
Newsom’s office said in a tweet that the governor had been briefed on the shooting and that state officials were working with local law enforcement.
“No one should have to fear going to a celebration with their community,” the governor’s office tweeted. “Our thoughts are with the victims and all those impacted.”
Timing of mass shooting ‘especially painful,’ local mayor says
The mayor of the nearby city of Alhambra, about 2 miles south of Monterey Park, tweeted that it was “especially painful” that the mass shooting occurred during Lunar New Year celebrations, given the city’s large Asian American and Pacific Islander population.
“This is a time when residents should be celebrating with family, friends and loved ones — not fearing gun violence,” Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez tweeted.
Asian people make up about half of Alhambra’s estimated population of 81,200 people, according to Census Bureau data. Foreign-born people make up 47% of its population.
Monterey Park is a majority Asian, immigrant city
Monterey Park is a mostly Asian city, according to Census Bureau data.
Asian people make up 65% of the city’s approximate 59,600 residents, and foreign-born people make up more than half of its population, according to the Census Bureau. Hispanic/Latino people make up about 36% of the population, and white people make up about 20%, according to the Census Bureau.
The city’s median household income is $68,497.
The mass shooting occurred at a Lunar New Year celebration, celebrated by Chinese and other Asian cultures. Authorities have said it’s too early to determine whether the mass shooting was racially motivated.
President Biden briefed on mass shooting, press secretary says
President Biden has been briefed on the Monterey Park mass shooting by Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted Sunday morning.
“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 tweeted.
Police vehicles at the scene of the mass shooting
Monterey Park cancels Lunar New Year Festival ‘for the safety of everyone’
The second day of a Lunar New Year festival has been canceled “as a precaution and for the safety of everyone,” the city of Monterey Park said in a statement Sunday.
“The City expresses condolences to the individuals, families, and friends who were injured in this tragic incident,” the statement said.
“Even though the incident did not occur at the 2023 Lunar New Year Festival, an active investigation is currently underway and the area near and around the festival is affected,” it added. “As a precaution and for the safety of everyone, the City regrets to announce the cancellation of the second day of the festival.”
