California authorities have identified the suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting that killed 10 people and wounded 10 others at a ballroom during Lunar New Year celebrations.
Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna identified the suspect as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran.
This combination image created with photos provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows a male suspect allegedly involved in a shooting on Saturday, January 21, 2023, in Monterey Park, California.
(Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department via AP)
The identification came hours after the suspect shot and killed himself in a white pickup truck in Torrance, about 30 minutes from the Monterey Park shooting site. Authorities said it was the same truck the suspect had used to flee the shooting Saturday night.
Law enforcement officers surrounded the van with tactical vehicles and bomb squad trucks Sunday before entering the vehicle. Luna said multiple pieces of evidence, including a handgun, were found inside the van that linked the suspect to the scene of the shooting.
SWAT personnel surround a pickup truck in Torrance, California on Sunday, January 22, 2023. A mass shooting occurred at a dance club after the Lunar New Year celebration, sparking a manhunt for the suspect.
(AP Photo/Damián Dovarganes)
Luna said there are no other suspects on the run and that “there is no longer a threat” to the community. Authorities have not provided a reason saying the investigation is ongoing.
Seven people remain hospitalized, Luna said. She did not have the exact ages of the victims, but she said they all appeared to be in their 50s.
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“I still have questions on my mind, which are: What was the shooter’s motive? Was he mentally ill? Was he a domestic violence abuser? How did he get these guns and was it through legal means or not?” said Congresswoman Judy Chu, who spoke alongside Luna at Sunday night’s press conference in front of Monterey Park City Hall.
Luna said the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park left five women and five men dead and injured 10 other people. Then, 20 to 30 minutes later, a gunman entered the Lai Lai dance hall in the nearby Alhambra.
The suspect entered the Alhambra club with a gun and people took the gun from him before he fled, Luna said.
Police personnel gather outside a dance club in Monterey Park, California on Sunday, January 22, 2023. A mass shooting occurred at the dance club after the Lunar New Year celebration, prompting a manhunt for the suspicious.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Monterey Park is a city of approximately 60,000 in far east Los Angeles and is comprised primarily of first-generation Asian immigrants from China or Asian-Americans. The shooting occurred in the heart of its downtown area, where red lanterns decorated the streets for Lunar New Year festivities. A police car was parked near a large banner proclaiming “Happy Year of the Rabbit!”
The celebration at Monterey Park is one of the largest in California. Two days of festivities were planned, which have been attended by up to 100,000 people in recent years. But officials canceled Sunday’s events after the shooting.
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The shooting occurred at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, a few blocks from City Hall on Monterey Park’s main drag, Garvey Avenue, which is dotted with small-business shopping malls whose signs are in English and Chinese. Cantonese and Mandarin are widely spoken, Chinese holidays are celebrated, and Chinese movies are shown regularly in the city.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
