Monterey Park Police Chief Commends Officers For Their Bravery

Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese describes the bravery of his officers as they entered the Star Dance Studio moments after a gunman opened fire killing 11 people and wounding an additional nine others.

Officers received calls of gunshots fired around 10:22 p.m. Saturday and were on the scene within a few minutes.

They arrived to the studio and immediately began assessing the area to check on victims and see if the shooter was still on the scene.

“They didn’t think about what they were going to encounter, all they thought about was getting in there and helping the people that needed help,” Wiese said, at a press conference Monday.

At the time of the shooting a clear description of the gunman was not known.

He also said that he had one of the “youngest shifts” of the department on call that night and they were willing to jump in and quickly take action.

“My three young female police officers who had only been on the job less than a year,” Wiese said. “They are feeling it today, I’ve sat down with each one of them.”

He emphasized the wellness of his officers and how it is his job to make sure they are well and able to do their jobs.

“Officer wellness is a huge part of being a police officer,” Wiese said. “I need to make sure my officers are safe.”

Wiese who has been in law enforcement since 1980 was only sworn in as Monterey police chief two days before the shooting.

As the new police chief he wanted to express how proud he is of his officers and the diligent work they did during a stressful time.

He said he has some of the best men and women working in his department and they are all still trying to process the events that took place.

“I love each one of them,” Wiese said.