Fugitive suspect described as Asian male, according to ‘preliminary description’
The Monterey Park shooting suspect who fled the scene and remains at large has been preliminary described as an Asian male, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Sunday morning.
«Our very preliminary description has been described as an Asian male,» Luna said. «We’ve received different descriptions of a suspect, so when I say it’s preliminary, please bear with us.»
Luna added that officials «are using all resources to apprehend this suspect and what we believe to be one of the most egregious cases in the county.»
President Biden: ‘Jill and I are praying’ for Monterey Park victims
President Biden expressed his condolences for the victims in a statement issued Sunday morning, saying locals should follow official instructions.
«Jill and I are praying for those killed and injured in last night’s deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park,» Biden said. tweeted.
«I am monitoring this situation closely as it unfolds, and I urge the community to follow the instructions of local officials and law enforcement in the coming hours.»
Local leaders react: ‘We must act to end the scourge of gun violence’
As the West Coast wakes up to the news of another mass shooting, California leaders and Monterey Park officials condemned the latest incident and offered their thoughts and prayers to the victims.
«During a time of Lunar New Year celebration, gun violence has tragically struck Monterey Park. My prayers are with the victims and their loved ones who woke up today to a nightmare,» said Senator Alex Padilla. he said in a tweet. «This is another painful reminder of why we must act to end the scourge of gun violence.»
Rep. Judy Chu, a former three-time Monterey Park mayor and current chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific US Caucus, whose district includes Monterey Park, saying: «My heart is broken for the victims, their families, and the people of my hometown, Monterey Park, who were affected by the mass shooting that took place during a night of Lunar New Year celebrations. I am closely monitoring the situation.» .
«The Lunar New Year is a time of celebration, love and prosperity,» State Senator Susan Rubio saying. «I am shocked and saddened by the loss of our community.»
State Assemblyman Mike Fong tweeted: «Our hearts are broken on a day meant for celebration and community.»
Photos: Investigators on scene the morning after the mass shooting
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass: «Mass shootings and gun violence are a plague»
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the 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 plague our communities,» Bass said.
«While the investigation determines whether these killings were motivated by Asian hate, we remain united against all attempts to divide us. My heart goes out to Monterey Park and the families and friends of the lost.»
Los Angeles is eight miles west of Monterey Park.
Gun violence prevention advocates react: ‘We can’t live this way’
Gun violence prevention groups and advocates denounced the Monterey Park shooting, the 33rd mass shooting so far this year. according to the independent research group Gun Violence Archive — as the latest example of the scourge of gun violence in America.
Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest in the country Gun safety group, founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and advocacy group Moms Demand Action, he said in a tweet:: “Our hearts go out to the victims, the survivors, their loved ones and the entire community. What should have been a joyous celebration ended in gunfire. We don’t have to live and die like this. Everyone deserves to feel safe and not fear. armed violence.»
Moms demand action, the grassroots group founded by defender Shannon Wattsshared a similar one declaration.
“It is devastating to live in a country where we continually have to wake up to this horrible 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 shot to death in the middle of a joyous Christmas celebration.”
March For Our Lives, the organization founded in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, tweeted: «Safe spaces do NOT exist! Not to celebrate. Not to be in community. Not to live as who we are, free from fear. We are devastated by this loss, which seems to be fueled by hatred of our AAPI brethren and is the deadliest mass shooting since Uvalde. WE CANNOT LIVE LIKE THIS»
California Governor Newsom: ‘Our hearts mourn’
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the Monterey Park shooting «a horrifying and ruthless act of gun violence» in a tweet Sunday morning.
“Monterey Park should have had a night of joyous Lunar New Year celebration,” Newsom wrote.
“Our hearts weep as we learn more about last night’s devastating acts. We are monitoring the situation closely,” she added.
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 be afraid to go to a celebration with their community,” the governor’s office tweeted. «Our thoughts are with the victims and all those affected.»
The timing of the mass shooting is «especially painful», says the local mayor
The mayor of the nearby town of Alhambra, about two miles south of Monterey Park, tweeted that it was «especially heartbreaking» that the mass shooting occurred during Lunar New Year celebrations given the large Asian-American and Pacific Islander population of the city.
“This is a time when residents should celebrate with family, friends and loved ones, without fear of gun violence,” Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez tweeted.
Asians make up about half of the Alhambra’s estimated population of 81,200 people, according to data from the Census Bureau. Foreign-born people make up 47% of its population.
Monterey Park is a majority Asian and immigrant city
Monterey Park is a majority Asian city, according to Census Bureau data.
Asians make up 65% of the city’s roughly 59,600 residents, and the foreign-born make up more than half its population, according to the Census Bureau. Hispanics/Latinos make up about 36% of the population and whites make up about 20%, according to the Census Bureau.
The median household income for the city is $68,497.
The mass shooting occurred at a Lunar New Year celebration, celebrated by Chinese and Asian cultures. Authorities have said it is too early to determine whether the mass shooting was racially motivated.
President Biden was briefed on mass shooting, press secretary says
President Biden has been briefed on the mass shooting in Monterey Park by National Security Adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted Sunday morning.
«He directed her to ensure the FBI is providing full support to local law enforcement and to update regularly as more details become known,» Jean-Pierre tweeted.
Police vehicles at the scene of the mass shooting
Monterey Park cancels Lunar New Year Festival ‘for everyone’s safety’
The second day of a Lunar New Year festival has been canceled «out of an abundance of caution and for everyone’s safety,» the city of Monterey Park said in a statement Sunday.
“The City expresses its condolences to the individuals, families and friends who were injured in this tragic incident,” the statement said.
“Although 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. «Out of precaution and for everyone’s safety, the City Council regrets to announce the cancellation of the second day of the festival.»