First responders of Monterey Park mass shooting are honored at memorial service for saving lives

ELYSIAN PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A memorial service was held Thursday morning to recognize the exemplary service and unified response of all the first responders who answered the call during the Monterey Park mass shooting.

The mass shooting that took place earlier this year is the deadliest in the history of Los Angeles County.

The event was held at the Los Angeles Fire Department Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center in Elysian Park.

The Monterey Park Fire Chief Matthew Hallock, who was present at the event Thursday, said that two firefighters who responded to the mass shooting are still out dealing with the trauma from their experience during the incident.

A total of seven fire and police departments were honored for their service in responding to the tragedy.

The shooting occurred during Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park this past January. The gunman killed eleven people, and ended up killing himself the next day.

The departments honored were noted for their training before the mass shooting, that was properly carried out when the real-life event tragically occurred. If first responders had not followed their training, it may have led to even more deaths.

"Once we went in, we didn't know what to expect, and when we walked in, I saw everything," said Jon Chang, of the Monterey Park Fire Department. "I actually had a rookie with me that day. And, again, just try to stay calm. I looked at him and said, 'Okay, this is what we've gotta do. We gotta start triaging.' So, just start breaking everything down one step at a time."

Mental health services are still available to the mass shooting's first responders to help them deal with what they saw that night.

And, according to the Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese, the city is still healing, and he is not sure if it will ever fully heal from what happened.