Crime and Public Safety
MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (AP) — A gunman opened fire at a Los Angeles-area ballroom dance studio following a Lunar New Year celebration, killing 10 people and setting off a manhunt for the suspect in the nation’s fifth mass killing this month.
Another 10 people were wounded and were taken to hospitals, where their conditions ranged from stable to critical, Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said Sunday.
The scene unfolded late Saturday in Monterey Park, a city of about 60,000 people on the eastern edge of Los Angeles that is composed mostly of Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans.
When officers arrived at the studio around 10:30 p.m., people were “pouring out of the location screaming,” Meyer said. He said officers then went into the ballroom and found victims as firefighters treated the wounded.
Meyer gave no description of the male suspect or the weapon he used and offered no explanation for why police gave no information on the shooting for hours while the assailant apparently remained on the run.
He said it was too early in the investigation to know if the gunman knew anyone at the ballroom or if it was a hate crime.
“We will look at every angle,” Meyer said.
The shooting happened in the heart of downtown Monterey Park where red lanterns decorated the streets for the Lunar New Year festivities. A police car was parked near a large banner that proclaimed “Happy Year of the Rabbit!”
The celebration in Monterey Park is one of California’s largest and had attracted tens of thousands throughout the day.
Two days of festivities, which have been attended by as many as 100,000 people in past years, were planned. But officials canceled Sunday’s events following the shooting.
Tony Lai, 35, of Monterey Park was stunned when he came out for his early morning walk to learn that the noises he heard in the night were gunshots.
“I thought maybe it was fireworks. I thought maybe it had something to do with Lunar New Year,” he said. “And we don’t even get a lot of fireworks here. It’s weird to see this. It’s really safe here. We’re right in the middle of the city, but it’s really safe.”
The tragedy marked not just the fifth mass killing in the U.S. since the start of the year but also the deadliest since May 24, when 21 people were killed in a school in Uvalde, Texas, according to The Associated Press/USA Today database on mass killings in the U.S.
The database also shows that 2022 was also one of the nation’s worst years in terms of mass killings, with 42 such attacks — the second-highest number since the creation of the tracker in 2006. The database defines a mass killing as four people killed not including the perpetrator.
The latest violence comes two months after five people were killed at a Colorado Springs nightclub.
The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation by Homeland Security Adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.
Attorney General Merrick Garland was also briefed, Justice Department spokesperson Dena Iverson said.
The shooting occurred at Star Ballroom Dance Studio, a few blocks from city hall on Monterey Park’s main thoroughfare of Garvey Avenue, which is dotted with strip malls of small businesses whose signs are in both English and Chinese. Cantonese and Mandarin are both widely spoken, Chinese holidays are celebrated, and Chinese films are screened regularly in the city.
The business offered dance lessons from Tango to Rumba to the Fox Trot, and rented its space for events. On Saturday, its website said it was hosting an event called “Star Night” from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m..
Seung Won Choi, who owns the Clam House seafood barbecue restaurant across the street from where the shooting happened, told The Los Angeles Times that three people rushed into his business and told him to lock the door.
The people said to Choi that there was a shooter with a gun who had multiple rounds of ammunition on him.
Wong Wei, who lives nearby, told The Los Angeles Times that his friend was in a bathroom at the dance studio when the shooting started. When she came out, he said, she saw a gunman and three bodies.
The friend then fled to Wei’s home at around 11 p.m., he said, adding that his friends told him that the shooter appeared to fire indiscriminately with a long gun.
Police were investigating another incident in the nearby city of Alhambra, where a similar business, the Lai Lai Ballroom, had police tape across its front door and an officer guarding it.
Detectives could be seen working near the open back door, where a woman wearing gloves was carefully examining the door handle as though checking for prints.
Officials gave no details on what had happened and it was unclear whether the incident was connected to the Monterey Park shooting.
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Virginia State Police is investigating a two-vehicle crash, which resulted in a fatality. The crash occurred Sunday (Jan 15) at 5:59 p.m. on Frontage Road, nine tenths of a mile north of Arcadia Road in Botetourt County.
A 2018 Toyota RAV4 was traveling north on Frontage Road and slowed to make a left turn into a driveway, when it was struck by a 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle, which was also traveling north.
The driver of the Harley Davidson, Mark Lee Braford, 63, of Natural Bridge Station, was wearing his safety helmet and died at the scene. The driver of the Toyota was not injured.
The Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that took place last Thursday in Troutville. 49 Walter Hinkley of Troutville was the victim; his wife, 50 year old Rhonda Hinkley, is the suspect. Last Thursday Botetourt County Deputies along with the Virginia State Police responded to a residence on Westview Road in Troutville to find an adult woman standing in the driveway with her hands in the air and an adult man with a single gunshot wound. Walter Hinckley was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Rhonda Hinckley has been charged with malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
(Sheriff’s Department Release) FINCASTLE, VA – The Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting. The incident occurred on January 12, 2023, in Troutville.
The victim has been identified as:
Walter Thomas Hinkley, (49) of Troutville, Virginia.
The suspect has been identified as:
Rhonda Larue Hinkley, (50) of Troutville, Virginia.
On January 12, 2023, at 1:21 p.m. the Botetourt County Emergency Communications Center (911) received a call from a female reporting she had shot her husband.
Botetourt County Deputies along with the Virginia State Police responded to a residence on Westview Road in Troutville to find an adult female standing in the driveway with her hands in the air and an adult male with a single gunshot wound lying in the gravel.
Botetourt Fire and EMS responded to the scene to administer medical aid and transported the victim to Lewis-Gale Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The suspect was taken into custody and transported to the Botetourt-Craig Regional Jail where she is being held without bond. Hinkley has been charged with malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
The preliminary investigation has determined that the shooting was an isolated incident involving domestic violence between a husband and wife and the firearm was recovered at the scene.
The media contact for this incident is Deputy David Moyer. He can be reached at:
dmoyer@botetourtva.gov or (540) 928-2260
The data from 2022 in Roanoke concerning gun violence shows that it still remains a major concern for many – residents, City Council and the police department. Meanwhile the citizen-driven commission created to address the issue meets for the first time this year today at 5:30, as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
On January 15 at approximately 6:20 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 700 block of Montrose Avenue SE. Responding officers located an adult male victim lying on the sidewalk in the area with what appeared to be a serious, but not life-threatening gunshot wound. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Details about what led to this shooting are limited at this time. No suspects were located on scene and no arrests have been made at this time. This remains an ongoing investigation.
An early morning crash on Brandon Avenue SW in Roanoke claimed the life of an adult male driving one of the two vehicles involved in the accident. Roanoke police say it happened when that driver lost control of his vehicle; speed is believed to be a factor. The other driver – also an adult male – was transported to the hospital with what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries.
(RPD release) This motor vehicle crash has been cleared and Brandon Ave SW is open. Thank you for your patience as our officers worked this fatality investigation. Preliminary investigation indicates that one vehicle was traveling east on Brandon Ave SW when the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into another hat was traveling west. At this time, speed is believed to be a factor in the crash.
The adult male driver of the vehicle that lost control was pronounced deceased on scene by Roanoke Fire-EMS personnel. The adult male driver of the other vehicle was transported to the hospital with what is believed to be non-life threatening injuries.
No further details can be shared at this time and this remains an ongoing fatality investigation.
MGN
The Salem Fire & EMS Department responded to a structure fire at 1236 West Main St. (T.j Nails & Spa according to Google) early this morning at approximately 4:07 a.m. The building sustained significant damage and one occupant was injured and transported to the hospital. The first units arrived within 6 minutes of receiving the 911 call and found a fire on the first floor of the building. The fire quickly spread to the attic, but fire crews were able to bring it under control within 15 minutes.
One person was in the building at the time and that individual was transported by Medic 803 to LewisGale Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. The fire has been ruled accidental by the Salem Fire Marshal’s Office and the damage estimate is $200,000.
On January 11 at approximately 10:40 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 2300 block of Delaware Avenue NW. Responding officers located an unresponsive adult male with what appeared to be a critical gunshot wound inside a residence. Roanoke Fire-EMS pronounced the man deceased on scene. His identity will be shared after next-of-kin is properly notified.
While on scene, officers located an adult male matching the description of the suspect. Officers arrested the man and took him into custody after a brief physical altercation. The suspect was transported to the Roanoke Police Department to speak with Detectives.
Marcus D. Williamson, 51 of Roanoke, is charged with Second Degree Murder regarding this offense. No further details can be shared at this time and this remains an ongoing homicide investigation.
UPDATE: Roanoke Police have arrested Malcolm L. Harrison, 32 of Roanoke, on several charges related to this shooting offense.
MGN
On January 10, at 8:13 p.m., Roanoke Fire-EMS was dispatched to the 1600 block of Rorer Ave SW for reports of a structure fire with possible entrapment. First arriving units found fire showing from windows on the first floor of a two-story, four-unit apartment building. Shortly after Fire-EMS personnel arrived on the scene, the occupant who was reported as entrapped self-evacuated from their apartment. Crews located and extinguished a fire on the second floor of the building. One person was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No injuries to Fire-EMS personnel were reported. Two building residents have been displaced and are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross. The fire was determined to be accidental. Damages to the building and its contents are estimated to be $95,000.