In the wake of the Monterey Park mass shooting that left 11 people dead, authorities have been scrutinized as to why it took five hours to alert the public that the shooter was on the loose.
When asked for an explanation regarding the delay, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that his department was “strategic” in their handling of releasing information but that he would review what occurred. He indicated the delay was not an accident, but on purpose.
“When we started putting out public information, the priority was to get this person into custody,” Luna said. “Ultimately it worked. We will go back and look at it as we always do. Nobody is as critical as ourselves as to what worked and specifically what didn’t work."
Authorities stated that the initial call regarding the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio was received at 10:22 p.m., where Monterey Park police officers assessed the scene and searched for the gunman.
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At 11:53 p.m. an unofficial source that was monitoring police chatter on a scanner, RMG News, tweeted, “the suspect is still on the loose according to PD on scene.”
Hours later, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau issued a news advisory at 2:49 a.m., confirming that there were fatalities and adding that the suspect was male. However, there was no mention that the killer was on the loose.
Five hours after the shooting, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Capt. Andrew Meyer held a news conference, announcing that the death toll was up to 10, and finally stating that the suspect fled the scene and "remains outstanding.”
Rep. Judy Chu, who has represented Monterey Park in various elected positions since 1988 told NBCLA that she gives authorities the “benefit of the doubt” since they were able to release pictures of the shooter, descriptions of his white cargo van, and ultimately got the shooter himself.
“I have to look at the results, which is they did catch this shooter in record time,” Chu said.
Some experts have stated five hours is a concerning amount of time for there to be no official public announcement.
“To have him out of pocket for that long with no information at all was very concerning and I don’t understand why the delay, ” said Errol Southers, a counterterrorism and security expert at USC.
However, Southers pointed to potential factors that may have prompted authorities to withhold information such as the time of day, and the tendency of homicide investigators to keep suspects in the dark for as long as possible.
Last year, the Active Shooter Alert Act – which would establish an Amber-alert like system that would notify the public to stay away from an active shooting situation — stalled in the Senate, but Rep. Mike Thompson has said that he intends on re-introducing the legislation.
Although similar alert systems exist, Chu said that the bill would make the system consistent nationwide, and provide the federal funds needed to implement such a system.
“Federal duplication is not needed,” Southers said.
Chu said she believes that while the shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay have caused widespread fear and anxiety among community members, people should continue to go out and celebrate events with one another–especially celebrations related to the Lunar New Year.
“We need to continue living our lives especially for those moments that are special for us and we need to do it with one another,” Chu said.
