22 January 2023 , 17:00
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Police have given their first description of a suspected gunman who opened fire at a dance studio killing 10 during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in California.
Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed in a press conference today that the suspected shooter was still on the loose but said a "premlinary description" was of an "Asian male".
He added that they believe the gunman is aged between 30 and 50.
Sheriff Luna also confirmed the victims included five females and five males, but did not specify ages.
The shooting happened at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, near Los Angeles, at about 10:22pm (6:22am UK time), police said.
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Earlier today, police said 10 people were found dead at the scene and a further 10 were rushed to hospital.
Police officers stand watch after reports of a shooting taking place in Monterey Park, California (CAROLINE BREHMAN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Sheriff Luna said they remain in various conditions from stable to critical.
Monterey Park is a majority Asian American Pacific Islander and was once voted the third safest city in America.
It is home to many Asian American families who would have been excitedly celebrating the New Year this weekend; people say this was a racist attack on the community.
According to census data, the suburb is 65 per cent Asian American, 27 per cent Latino, and 6 per cent white.
Police said today they are still investigating whether the shooting was considered a hate crime according to the law.
Chinese Chamber of Commerce leader Chester Chong told ABC7 that he believed the shooting was related to a domestic dispute and not a hate crime.
Mr Chong told local news that he heard through friends who were at the event that a woman was invited to the event and not her husband, which reportedly made him upset.
Police have not given a possible motive for the shooting.
Investigators also said they are still looking at whether a separate incident at a different dance studio is connected.
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Nearby in Alhambra, a gunman reportedly entered the Lai Lai Ballroom after shots were fired in Monterey Park.
Ten people died and at least 10 others have been wounded in a mass shooting in a largely Asian city (AFP via Getty Images)Sheriff Luna said they were told that a man was disarmed and wrestled before running off.
He said a weapon was recovered from that scene.
He said a "white cargo van" was a vehicle of interest.
He said: “We believe that there’s an incident that may be related. We’re not quire there yet, but it’s definitely on our radar screen.”
No details about the exact firearm that was used in Monterey Park have been released, but it was confirmed to not be an assault rifle.
The shooting was not connected to the Chinese Lunar New Year event that was being hosted in the area earlier that day.
An investigator walks into the scene of a mass shooting in Monterey Park (AFP via Getty Images)Seung Won Choi, who owns the Clam House seafood barbecue restaurant across the street from where the shooting happened, told The Los Angeles Times that three people rushed into his business and told him to lock the door.
The people said to Choi that there was a shooter with a gun who had multiple rounds of ammunition on him.
Wong Wei, who lives nearby, told The Los Angeles Times that his friend was in a bathroom at the dance studio when the shooting started. When she came out, he said, she saw a gunman and three bodies.
US President Joe Biden tweeted that he and First Lady Jill Biden were “praying for those killed and injured.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the shooting “absolutely devastating.”
She said: "As investigations determine whether these murders were motivated by Asian hate, we continue to stand united against all attempts to divide us."