One of the two victims killed in a shooting at an Asian restaurant in Monterey Park was identified Wednesday morning.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office named Zhaiming Li, 37, as the man killed in the shooting that also claimed the life of a woman. Her name was not disclosed.
The shooting occurred around 6:30 p.m. Monday at a restaurant in the 500 block of West Garvey Avenue, east of Atlantic Boulevard, said Deputy Tracy Koerner of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The victims suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body and were pronounced dead at the scene, Koerner said.
Witnesses described the suspect as an Asian man in his late 30s or early 40s, the sheriff’s department reported.
“Based on the preliminary information, it does not appear to be any random act or hate crime,” sheriff’s Lt. Charles Calderaro said in remarks broadcast on KTLA5. “It appears that this individual targeted these individuals.”
He said the gunman, who escaped on foot, may have had a relationship with the female victim.
Area residents said the restaurant where the shooting occurred, the Music BBQ Bar, opened about three months ago.
The sheriff’s department was assisting the Monterey Park Police Department with the investigation. Anyone with information on the crime was urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.