Police in Monterey Park, California are still trying to understand exactly why a man opened fire during a Lunar New Year celebration Saturday night.
Evidence gathered in the case so far suggests a personal motive rather than terrorism or a hate crime, according to authorities.
The shooting claimed the lives of 11 people and wounded several others.
Lunar New Year is a is deeply rooted part of the Asian heritage so for this to happen at one of these celebrations, regardless of motivation, has left people shocked and saddened.
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There was uncertainty among the Asian American community in the hours following the shooting. The suspect was a 72-year-old Asian American man, according to police.
People who spoke with NBC Connecticut say the hurt they’ve experienced during the pandemic, and a subsequent rise in Asian hate, led them to immediately think the worst.
“The gravity of it is still there. It’s like opening an old wound or a wound that still hasn’t healed,” said Mike Keo, of West Hartford.
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Keo said he observed Lunar New Year on Sunday, but he contemplated not allowing his family to attend.
“I was afraid of copycats,” Keo said. “I was afraid that someone else could see this and think, they can go to the celebration and open fire on the crowd.”
Keo is not alone. UConn Associate Professor of Asian American Studies Jason Chang says his immediate thoughts were shaped by prior acts.
“This country has a deep reservoir of history of such violence,” Chang said.
Investigators say the gunman may have been targeting his wife. Chang says the act itself was a message of some sort.
“Violence is always a form of communication and sometimes it makes no sense,” he said. “Unfortunately, violence is a language that we are fluent in in America.”
Police say the suspect turned a gun on himself after a traffic stop led to a stand-off. Connecticut’s attorney general says he stands with California and all Asian Americans as they process the tragedy.
“This is a time of joy and of love and togetherness and we are not going to let hate and violence take that away from us,” Attorney General William Tong said.
While this happened in California, the victims are being remembered here in Connecticut. On Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., there will be a vigil in the Legislative Office Building Atrium to memorialize those who lost their life during the tragic shooting.
There is a big Lunar New Year event in New Haven scheduled for this weekend. NBC Connecticut has been told by the city that out of an abundance of caution, they are adding additional police officers and more surveillance.
