Vigil for victims of shootings at Monterey Park
Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay, Oakland, San Diego, and Beverly Hills have all been host to the recent string of mass shootings which have rocked California in just the first month of 2023.
The first in the onslaught of these shootings occurred during a Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park, LA County. A gunman fired 42 rounds into Star Ballroom Dance Studio, resulting in the deaths of 11 people and injuring 9 others, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The gunman was later found dead from self-inflicted gunshots. Eva Lee ’23 noted “[it’s] very scarring…it seems as if our federal government has…no grasp on responding to these things.”
Less than 48 hours after the Monterey Parks shooting, 7 were killed and 1 injured in a work-place dispute at Mountain Mushroom Farm in Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County. The gunman was apprehended. San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe called the shooting an “unprecedented tragedy” in a statement, and vowed to “aggressively prosecute” the perpetrator. Governor Gavin Newsom said in a tweet, “[I was] At the hospital meeting with victims of a mass shooting when I [got] pulled away to be briefed about another shooting. This time in Half Moon Bay. Tragedy upon tragedy.”
Later in Oakland, 1 person was killed and 7 injured by an unknown gunman. In San Diego, a shooting spree left 1 dead and 3 injured. And in Beverly Crest, LA, 3 were killed and 4 injured in a shooting.
Masey Milham ’23 expressed a sense of confusion over the proximity of the shootings, saying, “It’s awful. I don't know what to say…it was shocking that they happened so close together.”
“It feels like our state is falling apart,” said Andonis Gullotta ’23. He continued, “It seems like this type of thing is happening more and more everyday.”
The slew of violence has raised calls for increased gun control from some, while others maintain that California already has hefty gun control laws, so more creative strategies for combating gun violence must be employed. In the wake of the shootings, Governor Newsom commented on varied gun policies across the country, saying, “We can’t do this alone. And with all due respect, we feel like we are.”
It’s important to remember the resources SI offers to process tragic events such as these, especially when they hit so close home. If you feel impacted in any way by these events, remember to take advantage of trusted adults and the counseling center.
Grace Brady '23 is a Vol. 71 Managing Editor
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