About 12 hours after he had carried out a Lunar New Year massacre at a dance club that left 10 people dead and another 10 injured, a 72-year-old gunman committed suicide as police approached him on Sunday.
Minutes after the initial shooting on Saturday night, the shooter attempted a second shooting at a different bar, but according to investigators, two onlookers took the man’s pistol from him before any shots could be fired. He ran from there.
Huu Can Tran, a septuagenarian, was named as the suspect by Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Lunar. According to him, Tran shot up a ballroom dance club in Monterey Park, which is about 7 miles (11 km) east of downtown Los Angeles, using a high-capacity magazine pistol.
Despite the fact that gun violence is common in the US, investigators are still unsure of the motivation. The five males and five women, who Lunar claimed appeared to be in their 50s, 60s, and beyond, were not identified by name. According to the sheriff, Tran’s gun seemed to be in violation of California state law, which forbids the use of magazines that store more than ten bullets.
Lunar told reporters, “we want to know how something this horrific can happen.
Approximately 20 minutes after the shooting at Monterey Park, according to police, at approximately 10 p.m. PST on Saturday (0600 GMT on Sunday), Tran was challenged by onlookers at a second dance club in the neighboring city of Alhambra, acc
Lunar new year: Lunar, “I can tell you that the suspect entered there with the likely intention of killing additional people, and two courageous neighborhood residents decided they were going to take action and disarm him.” The incident at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park occurred about 20 miles (34 km) away in Torrance, according to the sheriff, who said that Tran shot himself on Sunday as police drew near a white van he was driving. As they drew near, police heard one gunshot coming from the van. They then withdrew and requested a SWAT unit.
Seven of the 10 injured victims were still being treated in hospitals as of Sunday night, with at least one of them in a severe condition.
Seven of the 10 injured victims were still being treated in hospitals as of Sunday night, with at least one of them in a severe condition.
The incident occurred close to a two-day Chinese New Year holiday, during which several downtown streets are closed to traffic for celebrations that gather tens of thousands of people from all around Southern California.
A NICHED-IN COMMUNITY
On Sunday, people in Monterey Park stood and observed the numerous blocks that had been cordoned off by police. The city of about 60,000 people is described by Chester Chong, chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, as a quiet, peaceful, and beautiful place where everyone knows one another and helps one another.
Immigrants from China have always sought refuge in the city. According to data from the U.S. Census, the city has 65% Asian people and is well-known for its abundance of Chinese restaurants and markets.
At the scene, Chong remarked, “People were phoning me last night; they were concerned that this was a hate crime.”
The Star Ballroom Dance Studio first opened its doors in 1990, and the company’s website is full of images from previous Lunar New Year celebrations, showing customers smiling and dancing in festive attire in the facility’s sizable, well-lit ballroom.
According to a teacher at the studio who wanted to remain anonymous, the majority of its clients are middle-aged or senior citizens, while kids also enroll in youth dancing lessons.
They are typical workers, the teacher said. Some people are retired and merely looking to get some exercise or socialize.
The new year’s party was listed on the website as taking place on Saturday from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
According to Tiffany Chiu, 30, who was celebrating at her parent’s house next to the ballroom, several people mistook the gunshots for fireworks to ring in the new year.
It’s typically pretty quiet here because a lot of elderly people live here, she remarked. You wouldn’t expect this to be happening here,
In a written statement, President Joe Biden denounced the killings and declared that he had told his homeland security adviser to organize federal assistance for local authorities.
Since May 2022, when a shooter killed 19 students and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas, the attack in Monterey Park was the bloodiest. The deadliest shooting in California history occurred in 1984 at a McDonald’s in San Ysidro, close to San Diego when a shooter killed 21 people.
