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Crime scene in Monterey Park: "The perpetrator could always reload"
Photo:
Caroline Brehman/EPA
In a dance hall in Monterey Park, a suburb of Los Angeles, a gunman opened fire on Saturday evening (local time), killing at least ten people and injuring others.
The New Year's celebrations in the Asian community, which were supposed to last until Sunday, have been cancelled.
The perpetrator has not yet been caught, reported Andrew Meyer from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office at a press conference early Sunday morning (local time).
The motive for the crime is unclear.
"We will investigate in all directions to determine whether it is a hate crime or not." It is still too early to answer this question.
The perpetrator opened fire on Saturday evening at 10:22 p.m. (local time).
"When officers arrived at the scene, they saw numerous visitors pouring out of the bar screaming," Meyer said.
The perpetrator fled.
33 gun attacks since the beginning of the year
The owner of a restaurant near the crime scene told the Los Angeles Times that three people ran into his restaurant and asked him to lock the door.
They said the shooter carried so much ammunition that he could reload over and over again.
Police are also investigating whether there is a connection to another gun incident in the neighboring city of Alhambra.
The United States has long struggled with gun violence.
Fatal attacks of this magnitude are sadly normal in the United States.
The non-governmental organization Gun Violence Archive has registered 33 gun attacks with four or more victims since the beginning of the year.
Firearms are often readily available in the United States.
The crime in Monterey Park is reminiscent of the deadly attack at an Independence Day parade in a suburb of Chicago last July.
At that time, a gunman opened fire on the celebrating crowd, killing seven people.
In November, a man shot and killed five people at a nightclub popular with gay, lesbian and trans communities in the US city of Colorado Springs.
Last May, an 18-year-old gunman massacred a Texas elementary school, killing 19 children and two teachers.
The killing sprees reignited the discussion about stricter gun laws.
slue/dpa