Someone called a hospital where Monterey Park shooting victims were being treated and said they wanted to 'finish the job,' sheriff says

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Someone called a hospital where Monterey Park shooting victims were being treated and said they wanted to 'finish the job,' sheriff says
Police respond to a shooting with multiple casualties in the Monterey Park area of Los Angeles, California, U.S. January 21, 2023.REUTERS/Allison Dinner
  • 11 people died after a mass shooting at a Lunar New Year celebration in California.
  • An unnamed person threatened victims of the Monterey Park shooting, sheriffs said on Sunday.
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An unnamed individual threatened victims of the shooting in Monterey Park, California, by calling the hospital where they were being treated, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a Sunday press conference.

At least 11 people were killed and 9 others were injured after a mass shooting took place a few miles east of downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night during Luna New Year celebrations.

Luna declined to answer a reporter's question about which hospitals the victims were being treated at, explaining: "It is normal that when we have victims of violent crime, we don't talk about specific hospitals and I'm going to share just a quick story as to why we don't."

"Earlier I may have mentioned that they were at a specific hospital, and somebody called one of those hospitals to say something along the lines of 'they want to go and finish the job,'" Luna said, adding that the call was "absolutely horrible."

It was not immediately clear if the caller was the initial shooter or connected to the shooter.

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Monterey Park is a primarily Asian community, with more than 65% of the city's population identifying as Asian, according to police data. The shooting occurred as people gathered for an annual festival marking the Lunar New Year, the city's website states.

Police described the suspect as an Asian male between 30 and 50 years old. Authorities have not confirmed whether the suspect is in custody, Insider reported.

On Sunday afternoon, SWAT members engaged in a standoff with a "white van of interest" in a parking lot in nearby Torrance. Luna said during a press conference that the suspected shooter had been barricaded in the van.

"Please, these victims and survivors are dealing with so much. Let's not traumatize them more," Luna added.

LASD did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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