January 22, 2023 Monterey Park mass shooting news

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.