When will enough be enough? Pall of gloom over California after another mass shooting
People in California and around the US are mourning after 10 people were shot dead at a Monterey Park dance ballroom as they celebrated Lunar New Year
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People in California and around the United States were pushed into mourning after a mass shooting took place in Monterey Park, considered to be a safe haven for Asian immigrants. Celebrations for Chinese New Year turned bloody when a 72-year-old gunman opened fire in a ballroom dance studio, killing 10 people and hospitalising at least 10 others. AP
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The massacre ended what had been the city’s first in-person celebration of the lunar new year in three years, since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lunar new year festival, one of California’s biggest, had been scheduled to conclude Sunday. But the events were cancelled “out of an abundance of caution and in reverence for the victims”, the Monterey Park police chief, Scott Wiese, said. AP
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Monterey Park’s motto is “pride in the past, faith in the future”, but for many the violence and horror of the shooting has shaken that faith. AFP
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The shooting has raised fears for the Asian American community, and prompted statements of support from public figures denouncing the attack. Officials including Governor Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, have released statements of mourning for the victims, survivors and the broader Asian American community. AFP
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President Joe Biden also offered his condolences to the victims of the shooting and ordered flags be flown at half-staff at the White House and other federal buildings until sunset on Thursday to honour the victims. AP
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Vice President Kamala Harris also offered her condolences while speaking at an event in Florida. “All of us in this room and in our country understand this violence must stop,” Harris said. “And President Biden and I and our administration will continue to provide full support to the local authorities as we learn more.” AP
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Flowers are placed near the scene of the deadly shooting in Monterey Park, California. AFP
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Two men place flowers near Star Dance Studio to honour the victims killed in the shooting in Monterey Park, California. Authorities are yet to ascertain the motive behind Huu Can Tran’s shooting at the dance studio. AP
