Following the shooting in Monterey Park, a US city with a sizable Asian population, police say the suspect is still at large.
Following a Lunar New Year event attended by thousands, a mass shooting east of Los Angeles left at least 10 people dead and 10 more injured, according to the police.
The incident, which happened late on Saturday, was reported to have taken place at a ballroom dance club on Garvey Avenue in Monterey Park.
The specifics of the incident are still “pretty murky,” according to journalist and cameraman Sean Beckner-Carmitchel, who was reporting from Monterey Park.
He stated, “We are awaiting the identities [of those killed] and the suspect’s motivation.” “Many of the community members who have assembled here are in astonishment,”
Monterey Park, a city of around 60,000 inhabitants, is about 16 kilometres (10 miles) from downtown Los Angeles and has a sizable Asian population.
Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia tweeted, “Our sympathies go out to families who lost loved ones tonight in our neighbouring city, Monterey Park, where a terrible shooting just occurred.”
In the meantime, the FBI revealed that there had been 61 “active shooter” incidents in the US in 2021, which was the greatest number on record and an increase of 52% from 2020.
An “active shooter” is someone who is actively engaged in shooting or attempting to kill others in a public setting in an apparently random manner, according to the department’s definition. In 2021, mass murders were involved in about one in every five “active shooter” occurrences.
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The issue of federal gun laws has remained politically contentious despite the high prevalence of gun crime.
The most major gun safety legislation in decades was signed into law by the Biden administration last year, but gun control supporters claimed the benefits were just small. They included tightening background checks, supporting legislation to take weapons away from dangerous people, and closing a loophole that allowed some people accused of domestic violence to own firearms.
A federal ban on assault weapons, the weapon of choice for many mass shooters, and stricter age restrictions for gun purchases were not part of the package.
RESOURCES: NEWSPAPERS AND AL JAZEERA
