Many elements of Saturday's deadly shooting in Monterey Park, California, are still being investigated by authorities. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and numerous other authorities delivered updates Monday, admitting that they still don't know what motivated the shooting at a dance studio.
So far, we know that the 72-year-old gunman entered the Los Angeles neighborhood's Star Ballroom Dance Studio and started fire just after a Lunar New Year celebration. According to investigators, the guy then drove to a second dance club in adjacent Alhambra, where he entered with a pistol but escaped after being disarmed.
When police officers approached the gunman's vehicle on Sunday, he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The victims
So far, four of the 11 victims have been identified. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner's office, they are 57-year-old Xiujuan Yu, 68-year-old Valentino Alvero, 65-year-old Mymy Nhan, and 63-year-old Lilan Li. Before naming the remaining fatalities, officials said they are still attempting to contact their relatives.
The scene at the dance studio
According to Luna, the attacker fired 42 rounds of ammo from a high-capacity revolver at the Monterey Park dance venue. According to the sheriff, one individual was shot outside the studio in a vehicle before the shooter resumed his attack inside. Luna stated that they are "still putting it all together," which includes assessing whether the incident was planned.
Search of the suspect's home
Investigators discovered "a few things of interest" at the shooter's mobile home, which prompted investigators to assume he was "making homemade weapon suppressors," according to Luna. Authorities also discovered "hundreds of rounds of ammo." The items, which must now be thoroughly analyzed, were acquired from a search warrant conducted earlier Monday, according to the sheriff.
No motive yet
According to many officials, the gunman's motivation is yet unknown. According to the sheriff, the defendant had a "minimal criminal history," including an arrest in 1990 for unauthorized possession of a pistol. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón believes the attack was premeditated, citing the gunman's "very familiarity" with the dance studio where the incident occurred. According to CNN, the gunman was a frequent visitor to the studio.
Mass shootings in America
So far in 2023, there have been 36 mass shootings in the United States. This is more than any other year on record at this point. The shooting at Monterey Park was the bloodiest incident since the May 2022 Uvalde tragedy.
0 Comments