– At least ten people have died in a mass shooting, local police authorities said on Sunday.
There are also at least ten injured, says a statement.
The police received a report about the shooting in Monterey Park a little before 10.30pm on Saturday – around 07.30am on Sunday Norwegian time.
The first reports were that several people had been shot and that several of them had died, without this being confirmed by official sources in the police earlier on Sunday.
Not arrested
The perpetrator has still not been arrested, more than five hours after the shots were fired. The police say that the shooter is a man. Currently, it is not known what the killer’s motive was.
“The suspect fled the scene and is still at large,” said Captain Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Monterey Park has a large proportion of Chinese-descended residents and the shooting happened in an area where the Chinese New Year was celebrated.
The Los Angeles Daily News writes that thousands of people were present to participate in the celebration when the shooting occurred.
Photos and video of the police
Pictures and videos on social media on Sunday showed a large presence of police and other emergency services after the shooting.
Several injured people were taken to hospital in the area, but there were few details about how many could be injured or killed before the police confirmed that ten people had been killed.
Witnesses heard gunshots
Two witnesses have spoken to BNO News. They say they heard shooting.
The witnesses initially thought it was fireworks in connection with the Chinese New Year.
The celebration in Monterey Park – which has a large proportion of residents of Chinese descent – is one of the largest in the region. Tens of thousands of visitors were expected during the two-day holiday, writes the LA Times.
Past events in Monterey Park have drawn over 100,000 visitors per day from throughout the Southern California area.
According to the BBC, this year is the first time in the US that Chinese New Year has been made an official holiday.
The shooting happened in Monterey Park, an area where the Chinese New Year was being celebrated.
Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP
