‘Good Trouble' Star Sherry Cola Devastated by Mass Shooting in Her Hometown
A gunman killed 10 people Saturday night in Monterey Park, a city of about 60,000 people on the eastern edge of Los Angeles that is composed mostly of Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans
By Lindsey Bahr ••
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FILE - Sherry Cola arrives at the Gold House Gala on Saturday, May 21, 2022, at Vibiana in Los Angeles.
For actor Sherry Cola, the mass shooting in her hometown of Monterey Park, California, left her devastated ahead of the premiere of the new film “Shortcomings” at the Sundance Film Festival.
“I definitely cried myself to sleep, to be honest, because this is Monterey Park, California, like where I grew up, the 626, San Gabriel Valley,” Cola said. “This is where my Buddhist temple is, you know? Like all my friends I grew up with they were born in Monterey Park. It’s this hometown that I’m so proud to call my hometown.”
“Shortcomings” is the story of three friends who are Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) living the Bay Area and finding themselves. Saturday night’s shooting left the cast — including Cola, Randall Park, Justin H. Min and Ally Maki — with the difficult task of mourning the victims while speaking about the film ahead of its Sunday premiere in Park City, Utah.
A gunman killed 10 people Saturday night in Monterey Park, a city of about 60,000 people on the eastern edge of Los Angeles that is composed mostly of Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans. The massacre derailed Lunar New Year celebrations and sent fear through Monterey Park and other nearby communities with large Asian American populations.
“We have this beautiful film today that we still want to, you know, talk about,” Cola added. “And I think by talking about it is moving the culture and community forward. I think to just show each other grace and having each other’s backs is all we can do, you know?”
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Park, who directed the film, added “Regardless of whatever information comes out, it’s just so, so infuriating.”
At a Sundance lounge nearby, a moment of silence was held for the victims.
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Mourners place flowers at a memorial where community members gathered for vigil to the people who were killed by a gunman who opened fire at a ballroom dance studio on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023 in Monterey Park, California.
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Faith leaders and community members gather for a vigil in remembrance of those killed by a gunman at a ballroom dance studio on Lunar New Year’s eve, Jan. 22, 2023, in Monterey Park, California.
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Balloon hearts float below the flag, now at half staff, in front of the Monterey Park Civic Center Monday, Jan. 23, 2023.
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Hunter Jhao, a Monterey Park resident, holds flowers during a moment of reflection at Garvey and Garfield Avenues in Monterey Park, Jan. 22, 2023.
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A makeshift memorial near the scene of a deadly shooting on Jan. 22, 2023, in Monterey Park, California. Eleven people were killed and 9 more were injured at a dance studio in Monterey Park near a Lunar New Year celebration on Lunar New Year’s eve.
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A sign on the door at Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, Jan. 22, 2023.
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Police officers stand outside a ballroom dance club in Monterey Park, Calif., Jan. 22, 2023. At least ten people were killed in a mass shooting late Saturday in a city east of Los Angeles, following a Lunar New Year celebration that attracted thousands, police said.
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Police officers stand outside a ballroom dance club in Monterey Park, Calif., Jan. 22, 2023. At least ten people were killed in a mass shooting late Saturday in a city east of Los Angeles, following a Lunar New Year celebration.
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Law enforcement personnel gather outside a ballroom dance club in Monterey Park, Calif., Jan. 22, 2023. A mass shooting took place at the dance club following a Lunar New Year celebration, setting off a manhunt for the suspect.
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An investigator responds to the scene of a mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., Jan. 22, 2023.
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Investigators work at the scene of a mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., Jan. 22, 2023.
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Local residents stand near a ballroom dance club in Monterey Park, Calif., Jan. 22, 2023, after a gunman shot and killed at least 10 people at a dance club following a Lunar New Year celebration, setting off a manhunt for the suspect.
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Police respond to the scene of a mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., Jan. 22, 2023.
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Police respond to a mass shooting after a briefing in Monterey Park, Calif., Jan. 22, 2023.
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Investigators gather at a scene of a mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., Jan. 22, 2023. Dozens of police officers responded to reports of a shooting that occurred after a large Lunar New Year celebration in a community east of Los Angeles late Saturday.
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A police officer walks near a scene of a mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., Jan. 22, 2023.
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Police respond to a mass shooting, Jan. 22, 2023, in Monterey Park, Calif.
