Suspect in dance club shooting killed self in van; MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (AP) — The search for a gunman who killed 10 people at a Lunar New Year dance club ended Sunday. When authorities found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the van he fled into after another shooting spree. .
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna identified the man as Huu Can Tran, 72. Said there were no other suspects at large. At the evening press conference, Luna said that the motive for the attack was still unclear. Ten people were also injured, seven of them are still in hospital.
Luna did not know the exact ages of the victims, but said they were all in their 50s.
The sheriff added that the suspect was carrying a semi-automatic handgun with an extended barrel. Another handgun was found in the van where Tran was found dead.
A shSuspect in dance club shooting killed self in van; ooting in the Predominantly Asian-American community of Monterey Park late Saturday night sent a wave of fear through the Asian-American community in Los Angeles. The city had planned a two-day celebration that has drawn 100,000 people in past years. But officials canceled Sunday’s event because of the shooting. Other cities sent additional officers to monitor the festivities.
Early Sunday, police surrounded the van for hours before piling up and entering the vehicle. A man’s body appeared to be leaning over the bike and was later remove from the car.
Luna said the shoot took place at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park.
Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said Sunday night that officers arrived within three minutes of the call. They found carnage in the club and people trying to escape through every door.
“When they pulled into the parking lot, it was chaos,” Wiese said.
About 20 to 30 minutes after the first attack, the gunman entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in the nearby Alhambra. But there the people took the gun from him and Luna said he ran away.
He said authorities began looking for a white van after witnesses reported seeing the suspect fleeing the Alhambra in such a vehicle.
During the search, Luna posted photos from another location of an Asian man believed to be the suspect, possibly from a surveillance camera.
The van was find in Torrance, another community with a Large Asian American Population. About 22 miles (34.5 kilometers) from the scene of the second shooting attempt.
Congresswoman Judy Chu said at the press conference that she still has questions about the attack. But hopes residents feel safe.
“The community was scare and thought they shouldn’t go to any event because there was an active shooter.” Chu said, adding, “He’s no longer in danger.
“What was the reason for this shooting? he said. “Did you have a mental illness?” Was he a domestic abuser? How did you get these guns and did you do it legally or not?
The massacre was the country’s fifth this month. It was the deadliest attack since May 24, when 21 people were killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
The Associated Press/USA Today U.S. Mass Homicide Database shows 2022 was one of the nation’s worst years with 42 such attacks — the second-highest number since tracking began in 2006. The database defines mass murder as four people being kill. , not including the perpetrator.
Monterey Park is a city of about 60,000 people in East Los Angeles. Is made up mostly of Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans. The shooting took place in the heart of the city center. Suspect in dance club shooting killed self in van; Where red lanterns decorated the streets for the New Year celebration. A police car was park next to a large banner reading “Happy Year of the Rabbit!”
Star Ballroom Dance Studio is located a few blocks from City Hall on Monterey Park’s main intersection, Garvey Avenue. Which is full of strip malls with English and Chinese signs. The troupe offered dance lessons from tango to rumba to fox trotting and rented out the space for events. On Saturday, it was write on its website that it will host an event called “Night of the Stars” from 6 p.m. until 11:30 p.m.
Suspect in dance club shooting killed self in vanTony Lai, 35, of Monterey Park, was shock when he came out for his morning walk to find that the sounds he heard that night were gunshots.
“I thought maybe it was fireworks.” I thought it might have something to do with the Lunar New Year,” he said. “And there aren’t even many fireworks here.” It’s weird to see that. It’s really safe here. We are in the middle of the city, but very safe.”
Wynn Liaw, 57, who lives about two blocks from the Monterey Park Dance Studio, said he was especially shock that such a crime could happen during New Year’s celebrations.
“The Chinese are very, very different
Outside the studio, he took a picture of the ceremony to send to relatives and friends in China “to let them know how crazy America is with these mass shootings, even in the new year.”
President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland have been brief on the situation, aides said. Biden said he and First Lady Jill Biden were thinking of the dead and injured and urged federal officials to support the investigation.
