Los Angeles Assistant District Attorney John McKinney called for unity in Los Angeles in the wake of a mass shooting in Monterey Park that left at least 10 people dead while the gunman remained on the loose on Sunday.
“Los Angeles, as big as we are and as many people as there are, is still a community that comes together every time there’s a tragedy like this,” McKinney told Fox News Digital of the shooting on Saturday, while the community was in mourning at a time when residents would normally celebrate Lunar New York.
“So a part of me being here this morning is to show my support and unity,” he said in a phone interview after arriving at Monterey Park early Sunday. “It doesn’t matter [which city] You are from Los Angeles County. On a day like this, we are all one.”
McKinney was scheduled to join Chester Chong, president of the Los Angeles Chinese Chamber of Commerce, as he addressed city residents.
WITNESSES TO MASS SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA SAY VICTIMS FLED TO NEIGHBORING STORES AS SUSPECT FIRED INDISCRIMINATELY
Police investigate a scene where a shooting occurred in Monterey Park, California on Sunday, January 22, 2023. Dozens of police officers responded to reports of a shooting that occurred after a large Lunar New Year celebration ended in a community at east Los Angeles on Saturday night.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
“The media really wants to hear from him today. He speaks for the community,” McKinney said of Chong. The assistant prosecutor added that he expects to speak with some business owners on Sunday, noting that his office in East Los Angeles is about five minutes from where the shooting occurred.
“Even though my job is to oversee the prosecution of misdemeanors, it still brings me to this community two or three times a week and I feel a certain familiarity with the community,” he said.
Assistant District Attorney John McKinney (right) speaks to the jury as Judge H. Clay Jacke listens during closing arguments in the trial of People v Eric Holder, Jr. in the death of Nipsey Hussle on June 30, 2022 in Los Angeles California. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown-Pool/Getty Images)
(Frederic J. Brown-Pool/Getty Images)
Authorities confirmed Sunday that 10 people were killed and at least 10 others injured and taken to local hospitals after a man opened fire on people shortly after the Lunar New Year festivities ended in the city. The shooting took place on West Garvey Avenue around 10:22 p.m., according to authorities.
MASS SHOT IN CALIFORNIA LEAVES AT LEAST 10 DEAD AND OTHERS INJURED AT THE LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVAL; SUSPECT IN GENERAL
A police officer ties tape around a light pole in Monterey Park, California on Sunday, January 22, 2023. A mass shooting occurred at a dance club after the Lunar New Year celebration, prompting a search of the suspect.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Monterey Park is located about 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles and has an approximately 65% Asian-American population, the LA Times reported. Authorities described the suspect as an Asian man between the ages of 30 and 50, but did not release any additional information or a possible motive for the shooting.
The suspect fled the scene after the rampage and is still on the run.
The victims include five men and five women, and all were “probably” of Asian descent, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
McKinney said he is anticipating a “very thorough” investigation by law enforcement and will then focus on “the next phase” of the matter: how to legally deal with the suspect.
Police personnel gather outside a dance club in Monterey Park, California on Sunday, January 22, 2023. A mass shooting occurred at the dance club after the Lunar New Year celebration, prompting a manhunt for the suspicious.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
It is premature to speculate on how [Los Angeles District Attorney George] Gascón will handle this matter, given his policies. But any time you have 10 deaths, it’s obviously going to be a pretty serious case,” he said.
McKinney added that a major question weighing on him just hours after the shooting is: is the community “relatively safe, you know, very, very little amount of any kind of serious violence in Monterey Park, it’s a thriving, tight-knit business community People who live in a kind of bubble relative to the rest of Los Angeles. How does a community like this come back?”
As of the Sunday morning phone interview, Monterey Park was still waking up and maybe even learning about the shooting, McKinney said.
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“They will start gathering in this area, I’m sure, as the morning goes on,” he said. He later added: “I don’t think you’re going to see, at least initially, any extraordinary changes in people’s behaviour, people just seem to be hanging out and talking. And trying to understand what happened.”
