At least nine people are dead and multiple others are injured after a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California late Saturday evening, Sgt. Bob Boese of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to the Associated Press Sunday morning.
The shooting took place in an area where people were gathered to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
A heavy police presence responded to the 120 block of West Garvey Avenue in Monterey Park, a city in Los Angeles County, according to photos and videos on Citizen, an app designed to allow residents to report crimes in their local area.
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Several police vehicles were seen blocking an open area between a GBC International Bank and the TS Emporium, a Chinese grocery store. Entertainment venues, shopping, and dining locations lined W Garvey Avenue Saturday night.
The Monterey Park Fire Department told Fox News Digital a mass shooting took place, but could not confirm how many people may have been struck by gunfire. Monterey police have yet to release any information on the shooting, but said a news conference is scheduled for 7 a.m. PST.
A Citizen user reported 16 people were also injured in the shooting. A Twitter account that tracks the local police scanner similarly reported 16 people were injured. These figures have not been confirmed by local authorities.
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Boese said the shooter is a male but did not reveal any other identifying information.
Many people gathered in the city Saturday night for a Lunar New Year celebration of the “Year of the Rabbit.”
According to the Monterey Park city government website, the Lunar New Year festival features “vendors offering unique gifts and specialty items, food booths with various types of delectable items, amusement rides, and lots of live entertainment.”
Scanner traffic from the shooting pic.twitter.com/tHqIUNb7sX
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The festival kicked off Saturday morning and featured “various types of entertainment,” the website added. And: “A carnival fun zone will be featured in parking lots at the corner of Garvey and Lincoln Avenues.”
“Past Lunar New Year events in Monterey Park have drawn crowds estimated at over 100,000 visitors per day from all over the Southern California area,” it also said.
