Sad! Nine killed at Lunar New Year celebration in California

No fewer than nine people have reportedly been killed in a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, in the United States of America.

According to Bob Boese of the Los Angeles county sheriff’s department, the incident took place on Saturday, during the first day of a two-day celebration of the Lunar New Year.

He said the incident took place at around 10:22 p.m. local time, adding that the shooter is a male.

Meanwhile, it was unclear if the suspect has been taken into custody.

In a video posted on social media, police and fire units could be seen swarming the area, while victims were being transferred into ambulances.

The shooting was said to have come after thousands of people had gathered for a Lunar New Year festival – otherwise known as Chinese New Year – in a city of about 60,000 people with a large Asian population.

According to the US gun violence archive website, the country has 647 mass shootings in 2022.