California gunman found dead in van after killing 10 in Lunar New Year mass shooting | US News

A man suspected of killing 10 people in a Lunar New Year mass shooting in California shot himself dead in his van during a police shutdown.

The man was found dead in the vehicle he used to flee the scene of the second attempted shooting, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

The suspected shooter has been identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran.

Sheriff Luna said no other suspects are still at large.

Police use armored vehicles to surround a white van that law enforcement believes is a suspect in the Monterey Park mass shooting in a parking lot in Torrance, California, U.S., January 22, 2023, according to an ABC affiliate. People are related in the still images of the video.  ABC Affiliate KABC via REUTERS Resale prohibited. There is no file.mandatory credit
picture:
Suspect dies from self-inflicted gunshot wound

Click here for live updates

Police surrounded the van with tactical vehicles and bomb squad trucks early Sunday.

Earlier shooting at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Sherriff Luna said Five women and five men died and injured 10 others.

Please use Chrome for a more accessible video player

Watch footage of the moment police surrounded van linked to suspected gunman

While celebrating, Tiffany Chiu, 30, said the gunfire had been mistaken by some for New Year’s fireworks.
Parents’ house near the ballroom.

“A lot of elderly people live here and it’s usually very quiet,” she told Reuters. “That’s not what you expect here.”

This composite image, created using photos provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, shows a male suspect allegedly involved in the Saturday, January 1 shooting.  21, 2023, Monterey Park, California. About 20 minutes later, a second incident occurred in Alhambra, California. Investigators have identified him as a homicide suspect and he should be considered armed and dangerous. A gunman killed 10 people at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park and then may have tried unsuccessfully to target a second ballroom, authorities said Sunday, Jan. 1.  22. (LA County Sheriff's Department via AP)
picture:
Earlier Sunday, police released photos of the suspect

read more:
Mass shootings more likely a day in the U.S.
How do US gun laws work?
Listen up: America’s complicated relationship with guns

Twenty to 30 minutes later, a man with a gun entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in the nearby Alhambra.

Authorities believe the two incidents are linked but have not provided details about a motive.

Mr. Luna said the suspect entered the Alhambra club with a gun and was taken from him before he fled.

The shooting sparked a wave of fear in the Los Angeles-area Asian American community and cast a pall over Lunar New Year celebrations across the country. Other cities sent additional officials to oversee the festivities.

The massacre was the fifth in the country this month.

‘It was horrible’: City reeling after shooting

It’s clear that Monterey Park is unlike anywhere else in California.

The small city of about 61,000 is eight miles east of downtown Los Angeles, but it could be another country, with Chinese supermarkets, dumpling restaurants and store signs written in both Chinese and English.

More than 65 percent of the people who live here are Asian American. It was, as one academic described it, “a racial enclave in the suburbs that thrived because it refused to assimilate rather than cater unapologetically to its own immigrant community”.

Still, it is not immune to most American tragedies. But even if Monterey Park accepts that 10 people were shot dead during ballroom dancing class, there is a quiet and peaceful solution.

In front of a police cordon on the street where the massacre took place, a group knelt in prayer, asking their God for strength.

To learn more, click here

Located on the eastern edge of Los Angeles, Monterey Park has a population of about 60,000, mainly composed of Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans.

The shooting took place in the city center where red lanterns adorn the streets for Lunar New Year celebrations. A police car was parked next to a large banner reading “Happy Year of the Rabbit!”

The celebration at Monterey Park is one of the largest in California, drawing tens of thousands of people throughout the day.

A two-day celebration is planned and as many as 100,000 people have attended in past years. But officials canceled Sunday’s event after the shooting.

President Joe Biden condemned the killing in a written statement and said he had directed Homeland Security Adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall to mobilize federal support for local authorities.

“As we await additional important information from law enforcement, I want to assure the Monterey Park community and the wider region that we will support you in all ways we can,” Mr. Biden said.

Source link