Ten people have been killed in a shooting during a Lunar New Year celebration in California, police confirm.
At a news conference, Captain Andrew Meyer said at least 10 others were being treated at local hospitals in a critical to stable condition.
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Photo: Associated Press
He added that the gunman was still at large and the motive for the attack had not been determined.
Police responded to a shooting in Monterey Park, a city east of Los Angeles, after a local business reported a shooting at around 10.20pm on Saturday night (around 6.20am UK time on Sunday).
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They arrived to find people “screaming” outside the ballroom dancing studio, said to be Star Dance Studio on Garvey Avenue, with several victims still inside.
Video posted online showed police pouring into the area, firefighters tending to injured people and victims being loaded into ambulances on stretchers.
Seafood restaurant owner Seung Won Choi told the Los Angeles Times that three men stormed his restaurant and made him lock the door because a man with a machine gun and multiple rounds was outside.
Police at scene of California shooting
officials investigating the second incident
Capt. Meyer said: “The Park Police Fire Department responded to the scene and treated the injured and declared 10 victims dead.
“At least 10 more victims were taken to various local hospitals, where their condition ranged from stable to critical.
“The suspect fled the scene and has not yet been brought to justice.”
In an earlier update, police said nine people had died.
Captain Meyer also confirmed investigators were looking into another incident at a second nearby dance studio and “trying to determine if there is a connection”.
Local communities have been urged to remain vigilant as police hunt down the suspects and try to determine a motive for the attack.
Image: TNLA/Handout via REUTERS
“One of the largest Asian communities”
In a tweet, City Controller Kenneth Mejia, a Los Angeles government official, said he was “sad for those who lost loved ones tonight” in the “mass shooting.”
“Monterey Park is one of the largest Asian communities in Los Angeles County, and many people went out to celebrate the Lunar New Year,” he added.
Thousands of people gathered on Saturday afternoon for the two-day festival, which is considered one of the largest in the region.
Earlier in the day, crowds were able to attend various events, watch live entertainment and visit “hundreds of vendors” as part of the festivities, according to a notice from the City of Monterey Park.