Mass shooting jolts US

Los Angeles: Ten persons were killed after an unidentified gunman opened fire during an event in Los Angeles on Sunday, CNN reported, citing the police.

"The Monterey Park Fire Department responded to the scene and pronounced 10 of the victims deceased at the scene," Captain Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

"There are at least 10 additional victims that were transported to numerous local hospitals and are listed in various conditions from stable to critical."

The attack took place around 10.20 pm in the city's Monterey Park area where thousands had gathered to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, reported the Associated Press.

Visuals shared on social media showed injured people on stretchers being taken to ambulances by emergency staff.

Sergeant Bob Boese of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that the shooter has been identified as a white male, according to the Associated Press. According to the police, he fled from the scene. "When officers arrived on the scene, they observed numerous individuals, patrons of the location pouring out of the location, screaming," Meyer said, according to CNN. "The officers made entry to the location and located additional victims."

Sunday's attack is an addition to a spate of shootings that have taken place in the United States. The country reported 44,000 gun-related deaths last year, according to the Gun Violence Archive database.