Torrance, California
CNN
—
A man who was barricaded in a white van in Torrance, Calif., suspected of being linked to the Monterey Park dance studio shooting, has died, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Investigators are trying to determine if the man is the same one who killed 10 people in Monterey Park, the Los Angeles County Sheriff said. SWAT officers were in a standoff for several hours at the scene of the van.
Multiple law enforcement sources told The Times that the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that at least two bullet holes were visible in the driver’s side window within moments. preceding their approach to the vehicle.
Police have not publicly confirmed whether the occupant is dead.
As authorities ordered the occupant to leave the van, they heard a noise and thought the driver may have shot himself in the head, law enforcement sources told CNN.
CNN crews at the scene in Torrance have yet to see the driver removed from the van since SWAT crews entered.
A press conference to discuss the mass shooting will be held Sunday at 4:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET) at City Hall in Monterey Park.
For hours, authorities searched for the gunman who opened fire on a dance studio in Monterey Park as the city’s large Asian American community celebrated Lunar New Year weekend.
A weapon recovered by law enforcement in a nearby town shortly after the shooting was traced to the suspect, who gave authorities his name and description, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge. of the case.
In addition to the 10 people killed, 10 other people were injured and hospitalized, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna said.
“Who walks into a dance hall and shoots 20 people?” said the sheriff.
• It is not yet certain that one or more shooters opened fire in Monterey Park, Luna said.
• A group of people snatched a gun from a man described as an Asian man at a dance studio in nearby Alhambra shortly after the Monterey Park mass shooting, Luna said. The sheriff said investigators are trying to determine if the two incidents are related.
• Early information suggests the shooter who killed 10 people in Monterey Park may be an Asian man, the sheriff has said. While “the description we have now is of an Asian male,” descriptions from some witnesses of the shooter differed, Luna said. He warned that the investigation was ongoing. “There’s actually a lot more we don’t know than we currently know,” Luna said.
• It is still too early to rule out hate crimes as a possible motive, the sheriff said Sunday. “It’s all on the table.”
• Officers responded to a dance studio around 10:22 p.m. Saturday and found people “running out of the place screaming,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Andrew Meyer.
• The massacre took place at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, according to a CNN analysis.
• All 10 victims killed were pronounced dead at the scene, Meyer said. “There were at least 10 other victims who were transported to numerous local hospitals and are listed in various conditions, from stable to critical,” Meyer said.
According to the law enforcement official, the weapon snatched from the man at Alhambra was a Cobray M11 9mm semi-automatic weapon. This firearm is designed to receive 30-round magazines that allow rapid firing without having to change magazines frequently.
The carnage unfolded near the Monterey Park Lunar New Year festival, which was scheduled to take place until 9 p.m. on Garvey Avenue between Garfield and Alhambra avenues.
About 65% of Monterey Park residents are of Asian descent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
While it’s unclear whether the separate incidents at Monterey Park and the Alhambra are related and involve the same suspect, “that’s the working theory at the moment,” according to John Miller, the app’s chief analyst. CNN Law and Intelligence.
First, Miller said, police will test a bullet using the weapon recovered from the Alhambra that people snatched from the suspect.
“This will give the ATF the ability to immediately compare casings to see if this gun matches the one used at Monterey Park,” Miller said. “A match, of course, more definitively connects the two incidents. If there is no match, it could mean that the same suspect had multiple weapons and simply walked into the second location with another.
While it’s too early to tell if the massacre was a hate crime, the impact has already been felt among one of the largest Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the United States, the mayor said. from the nearby Alhambra.
“The fact that this tragedy is happening over the Lunar New Year weekend makes it particularly painful,” said Alhambra Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez. tweeted.
“Monterey Park is home to one of the largest #AAPI communities in the country. It’s a time when residents should celebrate with family, friends and loved ones – without fear of gun violence.
Monterey Park, about 7 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, is known for hosting Lunar New Year events drawing more than 100,000 people from across Southern California, according to the city.
It is unclear how many people were still gathered in the area when shots were fired.
“Monterey Park should have had a night of joyful Lunar New Year celebrations. Instead, they were the victims of a horrific and heartless act of gun violence,” Governor Gavin Newsom said. tweeted.
The local Lunar New Year festival, which began Saturday and was scheduled to last through Sunday, has been canceled, Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said Sunday.
“Out of an abundance of caution and out of respect for the victims, we are canceling the event which will take place later today,” Wiese said.
Authorities are asking the public for any clues that might help in the investigation. Those with information can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or provide an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
The Monterey Park massacre marks at least the 33rd mass shooting in the United States so far this month, according to Gun Violence Archive. The nonprofit and CNN define a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.
