The shooter, who had previously been identified as a man, remains at large and no motive has been established as yet, he added.
Officers responded to the attack in Monterey Park, a city just east of Los Angeles, at around 10.20pm on Saturday night (around 6am UK time) after a local business reported shots had been fired.
They arrived to find people “screaming” outside a ballroom dance building, with reports suggesting it was the Star Dance Studio on Garvey Avenue.
In an earlier update, police had confirmed nine people were killed during the incident, but this number was increased by Captain Meyer.
Videos on social media have appeared showing officers swarming the area, firefighters treating victims and people being carried off on stretchers.
Image: Pic: AP
Tens of thousands of people had gathered on Saturday afternoon for a two-day festival, which is considered one of the largest in the region.
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According to the LA Times, the shooting took place at around 10pm (6am UK time), with one witness saying he believed it happened at a dance club.
Seung Won Choi, who owns a seafood restaurant in the area, told the news outlet three people rushed into his business and told him to lock the door.
Image: Investigators at the scene. Pic: AP
He said he was told there was a gunman with a machine gun who had multiple rounds of ammunition on him.
The shooter was carrying a long gun and appeared to fire indiscriminately, his friends told him.
In a tweet, City Controller Kenneth Mejia, who is an official in the government of Los Angeles, said his “heart goes out to those who lost loved ones tonight” in the “mass shooting”.
“Monterey Park is home to one of the largest Asian communities in Los Angeles County, and many were out celebrating the Lunar New Year,” he added.
Image: Pic: TNLA/Handout via REUTERS
Sky News correspondent Martha Kelner explained that details around the incident are still fairly sketchy at the moment.
“We still don’t know yet whether this shooter is at large or in custody or otherwise. So we’re waitingreally to get the first information of any kind from police on this shooting,” she said.
Earlier in the day, crowds had been able to take part in various activities, watch live entertainment and visit “hundreds of vendors” as part of the celebrations, according to a notice by the City of Monterey Park.
Israeli forces killed two Palestinian men in the West Bank after they appeared to be surrendering.
Palestinians said the killings, which were captured on video and shown on two Arab TV channels, were carried out “in cold blood”.
In the video, the men were seen exiting a building and lying on the ground in front of Israeli forces in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Both men lifted their T-shirts and held their hands in the air, apparently to show they were not carrying weapons or explosives.
The soldiers then appeared to order the men back inside the building before they were shot.
A Reuters journalist in the area saw the men leave the building, appearing to surrender, and later, after hearing shots fired, saw Israeli forces standing near what appeared to be a lifeless body.
The men were identified as al Muntasir Abdullah, 26, and Yousef Asasa, 37, by Palestinian authorities.
Image: Footage of the incident has been broadcast on Arab TV channels
What has Israel said about the incident?
A joint statement between the Israeli Defence Forces and Israeli police said: “Earlier this evening (Thursday), during an Israel Border Police and IDF operation in the area of Jenin, the forces operated to apprehend wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces.
“The wanted individuals were affiliated with a terror network in the area of Jenin.
“The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited.
“Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects.
“The incident is under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.”
Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the military and police unit involved in the shooting had his “full backing”.
“The fighters acted exactly as expected of them – terrorists should die!” he wrote on X.
Image: A Reuters journalist captured images from near the scene. Pic: Reuters
‘An outright extrajudicial killing’
But Palestinians and human rights groups say Israeli investigations in such incidents yield few results, with Israeli troops rarely prosecuted.
The Palestinian prime minister’s office in Ramallah also accused Israel of executing the men “in cold blood”, calling the shooting “an outright extrajudicial killing in blatant violation of international humanitarian law”.
Yuli Novak, the executive director of B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, said: “The execution documented today is the result of an accelerated process of dehumanisation of Palestinians and the complete abandonment of their lives by the Israeli regime.
“In Israel, there is no mechanism that acts to stop the killing of Palestinians or is capable of prosecuting those responsible.”
Israel’s military has scaled up its military operations in the West Bank since the October 7 Hamas attack, which triggered the war in Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to B’Tselem, which said the perpetrators were “granted full impunity by Israel”.
Donald Trump has warned US action against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers will move to the land “very soon”.
American forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on boats it claims were carrying narcotics to its shores over the last few months.
The US has accused the South American country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, of being involved in the drugs trade – a claim he denies.
Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder.
Image: Mr Trump made the comments while in Florida for Thanksgiving. Pic: Reuters
‘We warned them,’ says Trump
America’s most advanced aircraft carrieris among the ships that have been deployed to the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific as part of Operation Southern Spear.
Mr Trump said on Thursday he was preparing to significantly ramp up the response.
“You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” he told military service members in a call.
“The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”
“We warned them to stop sending poison to our country,” Mr Trump added.
The US has released videos of boats being targeted, but hasn’t provided evidence – such as photos of their cargo – to support the smuggling claims.
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Three killed as US strikes another alleged drug boat
The Pentagon has sought to justify the strikes by labelling the drug gangs as foreign terrorist organisations – putting them on par with the likes of al Qaeda and Hamas.
This week it formally designated Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) as such, and said the group was headed by Mr Maduro and “other high-ranking individuals” from his regime.
Another Venezuelan drugs group, Tren de Aragua, was designated a terror organisation by the US in January.
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Mr Maduro – seen by most countries as a dictator who’s cheated elections – has accused the US of “fabricating” a war to overthrow him and install a more favourable government.
Venezuelan officials have also claimed Mr Trump’s true motivation is access to the country’s plentiful oil reserves and other natural resources such as gold and diamonds.
Experts say Mr Maduro, 63, could use oil as a bargaining chip in any future negotiations.
Mr Trump has said previously he would be open to talks – but that prospect seems unlikely, with the Venezuelan leader wielding a sword this week as he vowed to “defend every inch of this blessed land from imperialist threat”.
Police said a passer-by who made a tourniquet to stem the man’s bleeding had probably saved his life.
Switzerland’s foreign affairs office didn’t name the victims – who are both believed to be in their 20s – but confirmed they were Swiss citizens.
The pair are said to have arrived the night before, camping nearby before going for a swim with dolphins at dawn – a time when sharks are more active.
The man suffered major wounds to his thigh after trying to fight off the shark and dragging his partner more than 50m back to shore, reported Sky News Australia.
The woman died on the sand but call handlers instructed the passer-by how to fashion a tourniquet from a swimsuit in order to treat the man.
Image: Early assessments indicate a bull shark may be responsible. File pic: iStock
New South Wales Ambulance superintendent Josh Smyth said the backpacker’s quick thinking was “heroic” and created valuable time for them to reach the remote, unpatrolled beach.
Sky News Australia said initial indications are a large, mature bull shark may be responsible.
The beach has been closed while drones scour the area and drumlines have been laid in the hope of capturing the shark.