investigators seeking a reason In the bloodiest mass shooting in Los Angeles County history, it was reported on Monday that the shooter had a rifle at home, hundreds of rounds of ammo, and appeared to be making gun silencers. He had also been previously jailed for illegally carrying a handgun.
Investigators have not yet determined why Huu Can Tran, 72, shot and killed guests at a ballroom dance club in Monterey Park on Saturday night. Tens of thousands had earlier attended Lunar New Year celebrations there, according to Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna. Later, Tran committed suicide as the authorities closed in on him.
What drove this madman to do this? Though we don’t know, Luna promised to find out.
The shooter once attended the dance hall, according to a man who claimed to have known Tran for a very long time, and another, whom he also targeted and complained to about how he felt others treated him there.
Tran opened fire on the Star Ballroom Dance Studio with 42 bullets, leaving 11 dead and 9 injured. Then, according to Luna, he drove to another neighboring dance establishment where a worker wrestled a modified 9 mm semi-automatic handgun away from him.
Brandon Tsay, who works part-time at the dance club his grandparents started, was a hero in the eyes of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who met with him on Monday.
Newsom described the young man as this incredible young man who took it upon himself to rescue innumerable lives without any hesitation—though with periods of anxiety. The number of lives he rescued is unknown.
In order to keep the attention on the victims, Tsay claimed he was proud of his deeds but did not want to talk about them.
Outside of his family’s house, Tsay added, Some of these people I know directly. They visit the studio. I hope they can recover from this awful occurrence because the community is close-knit.
On Sunday, Tran shot himself to death as police approached the van he was in. The van he used to flee the dance studio was described as having a firearm, which was found there.
A little over an hour’s drive from the scene of the slaughter, in the town of Hemet, in a gated senior community, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies investigated Tran’s home.
A.308-caliber rifle, an unknown number of ammunition, and indications that he was building homemade firearm suppressors—which quiet down the sound of the weapons—were discovered, according to Luna.
According to Hemet police spokesperson Alan Reyes, Tran had contacted the police twice this month to report that he had been the victim of fraud, theft, and poisoning by family members in the LA region a few decades prior. Tran promised to return to the station with the necessary paperwork but never did.
Health officials reported that one of the 10 injured persons had passed away on Monday, bringing the death toll to 11, according to officials.
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