The gun wrestled away from the suspected Monterey Park shooter at a second location Saturday night is a Cobray M11 9mm semi-automatic, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the case.
At a news conference Sunday evening, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna described the gun as a “magazine-fed, semiautomatic assault pistol” with an extended, large-capacity magazine.
This style of firearm is designed to take 30-round magazines that allow for rapid fire without having to frequently change magazines.
In response to a reporter’s question, Luna said: “I believe the weapon … is not legal to have here in the state of California.”
The sheriff added that he still needed to consult the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for further details on the weapon’s legality.
CNN’s law enforcement source said the weapon helped lead investigators to the suspect.
They seized the weapon at a dance studio in Alhambra, California, where officials say the suspect from the Monterey Park shooting arrived within 20 to 30 minutes of the massacre. He was confronted by a group of people who disarmed him.
Detectives traced the gun and were able to obtain the suspect’s name and description, the law enforcement source said. He was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a standoff with police in Torrance, California.
Luna did not say whether authorities had confirmed that the “assault pistol” was the weapon used in the Monterey Park shooting.