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How Asian Americans are coping with the Monterey Park shooting

Flowers are placed at the entrance to Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif., Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. Authorities searched for a motive for the gunman who killed 10 people at the ballroom dance club during Lunar New Year celebrations, slayings that sent a wave of fear through Asian American communities and cast a shadow over festivities nationwide. (Jae C. Hong/AP)
Flowers are placed at the entrance to Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif., Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. Authorities searched for a motive for the gunman who killed 10 people at the ballroom dance club during Lunar New Year celebrations, slayings that sent a wave of fear through Asian American communities and cast a shadow over festivities nationwide. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

The Lunar New Year is supposed to be a time of joy across Asian cultures, to welcome good luck. But it’s getting off to a somber start this year after a mass shooting over the weekend in Monterey Park, California.

A gunman killed at least 10 people and injured at least 10 others during a celebration at a ballroom dance hall. Investigators say the motive is unclear and that the gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Event organizers in some cities are now canceling Lunar New Year events, or they’re beefing up security as a precaution.

Here & Now‘s Deepa Fernandes speaks with Josie Huang, who reports on Asian American communities in Southern California for KPCC.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.