US residents of 'very safe' Monterey Park, an Asian suburb, stunned by mass Chinese New Year shooting

People come together as members of the community hold a prayer vigil near the scene of a shooting on Jan 22, 2023. - Reuters

MONTEREY, United States, Jan 23, 2023 (AFP): The "Year of the Rabbit" began in horror on Sunday for the inhabitants of Monterey Park, the largely Asian American suburb of Los Angeles where a mass shooting left 10 people dead.

In this city of 60,000 people, red lanterns and banners in Chinese characters celebrating the Lunar New Year still fluttered over a roadway.