Nine people were confirmed dead in a shooting at business premises in Monterey Park, LA, police said. The business part seems to be a dancing club or studio that has been operating since 1990.
The incident occurred at about 22:20 local time on Saturday (06:20 GMT on Sunday).
Thousands of people gathered for Monterey Park Lunar New Year Festival.
Police have not yet shared the number of people who were injured in the shooting, or if any suspects have been arrested or not.
The shooting suspect is a male, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The motive and the description of the shooter are unknown.
#LASD Homicide Detectives Assisting Monterey Park PD w/ Shooting Death Invst., 100 blk. W. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park – https://t.co/UN1JQiD5dx
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) January 22, 2023
Social media videos from the area, which is around eight miles (13 km) east of Los Angeles, revealed a significant police presence.
According to Seung Won Choi, who owns the Clam House seafood barbeque restaurant across the street, who spoke to Usadailynewsposts, three persons ran into his restaurant. They ordered him to shut the door because a man with a machine gun was near that area.
The annual Lunar New Year festival lasts for a whole weekend and has drawn crowds of over 100,000 visitors in the past.
The activities on Saturday night were supposed to end at 21:00 local time.
Monterey Park is home to a large Asian community and has a population of about 60,000 people.
You can call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Division at (323) 890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 if you have any information about this incident.
(This is a developing story. Check back for updates.)