Monterey Park mass shooter identified as Huu Can Tran
25.04.2023The gunman who slaughtered 10 people during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the van he used to flee after his attempt at a second shooting was thwarted by ‘hero’ patrons.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna identified the mass shooter as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran. He said the motive for the attack is still unclear.
‘He intended to kill more people,’ Luna said in a news conference on Sunday night. ‘They saved lives,’ he said of the patrons. ‘This could’ve been much worse.’
Ten people were shot and killed at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, where sources told CNN that Tran was once a ‘regular patron.’
The exact ages of the victims were not released, but Luna said they all appeared to be over 50. Seven of the wounded remained in the hospital, he added.
Tran was carrying what was described as a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, which Luna said appeared to be illegal in California, where state laws ban any magazine holding more than 10 rounds. A second handgun was discovered in the van where he was found dead, he added.
Luna revealed how it all went down on Sunday when enforcement officials swarmed and entered the van after surrounding it for hours. They heard a gunshot and approached the vehicle to find Tran’s body slumped over the steering wheel.
Huu Can Tran, who slaughtered 10 people during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California Saturday night was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the van he used to flee after his attempt at a second shooting that was thwarted by ‘hero’ patrons
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna identified the mass shooter as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran. He said the motive for the attack is still unclear. A photo of the man was released earlier
Tran was carrying what was described as a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, and a second handgun was discovered in the van where he was found dead, officials said
Tran was removed from the van after he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound during standoff
The police standoff came after 10 people were shot and killed at a ballroom dance studio late Saturday amid Lunar New Years celebrations in the predominantly Asian American community of Monterey Park.
Luna said the shooting left five women and five men dead and wounded another 10 people. Then 20 to 30 minutes later, the gunman entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in nearby Alhambra. But patrons wrestled the weapon away from him and he fled.
‘Remember, the suspect went to the Alhambra location after he conducted the shooting and he was disarmed by two community members who I consider to be heroes,’ Luna said on Sunday.
‘They saved lives,’ he added. ‘This could’ve been much worse. The weapon that we recovered at that second scene I am describing as a magazine-fed semiautomatic assault pistol. Not an assault rifle, but an assault pistol that had an extended large capacity magazine attached to it.’
Another gun, a handgun, was later found in the van where Tran was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Luna said that the van had different plates.
Authorities had been on the lookout for the vehicle after witnesses reported seeing the suspect fleeing Alhambra. He was also spotted <span style="font-sizethe LA Times three people rushed into his business and told him to lock the door.
Choi said he was told there was a man with a machine gun, and a shooting at the dance club. He added the man had multiple rounds of ammunition on him and would reload every time he ran out.
Local resident Wong Wei told the Los Angeles Times his friend was at the dance club and was in the bathroom when the shooting broke out.
When she emerged, she said she saw a gunman and three bodies — two women and one person who he said was the boss of the club.
Interior of the Star Ballroom in Monterey Park where the shooting took place Saturday night
Community members were out dancing and celebrating following a Lunar New Year celebration that had ended about an hour before the shooting
Investigators gather at a scene where a shooting took place in Monterey Park Saturday night
Daytime aerial view of the dance hall where 10 people were shot dead Saturday night
Dozens of police officers are responding to reports of a shooting on 22 January in California
Armed officers were stationed outside an Asian store following the mass shooting Saturday
Captain Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said people were ‘pouring out of the location screaming’ when officers arrived on the scene.
He said police then went into the dance ballroom as firefighters treated the wounded.
Ten deaths make it the joint fourth most deadly shooting in California’s history.
It also marks the fifth mass shooting in the US this month and the deadliest since 21 people were killed in a school in Uvalde, Texas.
The deadliest shooting in California history was in 1984 when a gunman killed 21 people at a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro, near San Diego.
The latest violence comes two months after five people were killed at a Colorado Springs nightclub.
Law enforcement officials remained on the scene at the Star Ballroom on Sunday
Firefighters were pictured helping the injured in a parking lot near the scene on Saturday night
Two police officers stand guard near a scene where a shooting took place in Monterey Park
The officers stand guard at the scene near the intersection of Garvey and Garfield Avenue