The killings of 10 individuals at a ballroom dance club in the Los Angeles area during Lunar New Year celebrations, which sent a wave of panic across Asian American communities in the area and cast a shadow on festivities nationwide, were investigated by authorities for a possible motive.
The perpetrator was stopped in his effort to carry out a second shooting on Saturday night, and he was later discovered Sunday, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a van, according to investigators.
This month, there have been five major killings throughout the country. Since May 24, when 21 individuals were slain in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, it was also the deadliest attack.
Huu Can Tran, 72, was the man, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, who also stated that no other suspects were at large. The incident, which left 10 people injured and seven of them still hospitalized, Luna claimed the reason behind it was still unknown. At a news conference on Sunday night, the sheriff said that although he didn’t know their exact ages, all of the victims appeared to be older than 50.
Another firearm was found in the van where Tran died, and the suspect was seen carrying what Luna characterized as a semi-automatic revolver with an extended magazine.
Police arrived at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park three minutes after receiving the report, according to Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese on Sunday night. They discovered chaos inside with people attempting to escape through every door.
Wiese recalled the commotion that ensued when the cars entered the parking lot.
The shooter went into the Lai Lai Ballroom in the neighboring city of Alhambra around 20 to 30 minutes after the initial assault. However, he was disarmed, and witnesses claimed that he left in a white van, according to Luna.
The van was discovered around 22 miles (34.5 kilometers) away in Torrance, another area with a large Asian American population.
Hours later, after spending a lot of time encircling the car, police flooded the place and started searching. The body, which had looked to be slumped over the wheel, was later taken away. A SWAT team member searched the inside of the van before leaving.
The sheriff’s office previously made public images of an Asian guy thought to be the suspect, which were ostensibly acquired from a surveillance camera.
Judy Chu, a member of congress, said she still has concerns about the incident but hopes people now feel secure.
At the news conference on Sunday, Chu said, The community was in panic believing that they should not attend any activities because there was an active shooter.
What was this shooter’s motivation? She spoke. Did he suffer from a mental disorder? Was he a perpetrator of domestic abuse? How did he obtain these weapons, and was it legal or not?
The majority of the 60,000 residents of Monterey Park, which is on the eastern outskirts of Los Angeles, are Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans. The incident took place in the center of the city’s downtown, where red lanterns had been hung to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Happy Year of the Rabbit! was written on a sizable banner that was positioned close to a police car.
One of California’s biggest festivals is taking place at Monterey Park. An estimated 100,000 individuals had previously attended the two days of activities, which were planned. However, in response to the shooting, authorities called off Sunday’s activities.
When Tony Lai, 35, of Monterey Park, went outside for his early-morning stroll and discovered that the noises he had heard in the previous evening were gunshots, he was astounded.
I assumed it might have been fireworks. I assumed it might be related to Lunar New Year, he remarked. And there aren’t many fireworks displayed here. Observing this is strange. This place is quite secure. Despite the fact that we are in the heart of the city, it is really secure.
42 such incidents occurred in 2022, one of the worst years for the country since the tracker’s establishment in 2006, according to an Associated Press/USA Today database on mass killings. A mass killing is defined by the database as four victims total, excluding the offender.
On Sunday, California Governor Gavin Newsom went to Monterey Park and spoke with both local officials and victims’ relatives.
According to officials, President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland were informed of the circumstances. Biden stated that both he and Jill Biden, the first lady, were thinking of the victims and injured.
According to the website for The Star Ballroom Dance Studio, Star Night would take place on Saturday from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The studio is located on Monterey Park’s major road, Garvey Avenue, which is studded with strip malls of small companies with signage in both English and Chinese. Garvey Avenue is a few blocks from the city hall. Chinese holidays are observed, Cantonese and Mandarin are commonly spoken, and the city frequently hosts screenings of Chinese movies.
The Monterey Park studio is roughly two blocks from Wynn Liaw’s home, and she expressed disbelief that such a crime would take place, particularly during the Lunar New Year’s festivities.
Discussion about this post