Investigators search the residence of the Monterey Park mass shooter and uncover a firearm and a large amount of ammunition
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, investigators searching the home of the 72-year-old shooter who opened fire on a crowd in Monterey Park, California, on Saturday night discovered a.308 caliber rifle, hundreds of rounds of loose ammunition, and materials that led them to believe he was constructing homemade gun suppressors.
At the shooting scene, which was a dance studio, police found 42 shot casings and a big capacity magazine, Luna said. He said that the weapon was registered to the suspect and that investigators had also discovered it in the gunman's white vehicle.
Authorities are unaware of what drove the gunman, Huu Can Tran, an old Chinese immigrant described as having a violent temper and a passion for dancing, in spite of the newly discovered evidence. He had a limited criminal history, according to the sheriff, which included an arrest for illegal gun possession in 1990.
He stated, "We don't have a reason yet. We are trying extremely hard to achieve our goal of knowing as much as you all.
The incident occurred at a dancing studio that the shooter was "extremely familiar" with, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said CNN. The appearance that this was targeted is unquestionably present, he continued.
Less than two days after the shooter opened fire at a Lunar New Year celebration in the city with a large Asian American population, 11 people over the age of 50 were killed and nine others were injured, the sheriff revealed the information during a news conference.
monterey park california mass shooting : what we know
According to the sheriff, at least one person was shot in a car outside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, and investigators think Tran shot that individual first before opening fire on the gathering of bystanders inside the dance studio, firing 42 rounds in all.
Officers arrived on the scene within three to four minutes, according to Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese.
The suspect, who was still armed, ran away from the scene and entered a different dancing class in the neighboring Alhambra. There, a bystander tackled the suspect and disarmed him. The suspect left the area after that, and police discovered him a day later, some 30 miles away in Torrance, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, inside a white van.
He utilized a 9mm semi-automatic MAC-10 handgun with an extended large-capacity magazine to carry out the attack, according to Luna. Authorities were able to identify the culprit using the disarmed firearm, which also gave them his name and description.
The assault rifle "seems to have been changed," the sheriff claimed.
One of Asian Americans' most fortunate days of the year was turned into an unimaginable tragedy by the murderous whirlwind, but it may have been far deadlier.
The tragedy, one of at least 36 mass shootings in the US this month, specifically targeted Asian Americans, who have experienced an increase in violent crimes and harassment since the Covid-19 outbreak began. The Lunar New Year celebrations generally draw 100,000 people from all around Southern California, with over 65% of Monterey Park's population being of Asian heritage.
Thomas Wong, a member of the Monterey Park City Council, told CNN, "We've been on edge the last few years as Covid increased and affected our neighborhoods, and the development of Asian hate in our communities as well." And dealing with this on top of that, for our neighborhood, has just been really awful.
All of the victims were older than 50.
According to the Los Angeles County coroner's office, all of the victims—five men and six women—were over 50, and three of them were over 70.
My Nhan, a 65-year-old woman; Lilan Li, a 63-year-old woman; Xiujuan Yu, a 57-year-old woman; and Valentino Alvero, a 68-year-old male, were named as four of the victims, according to the office. According to the office, the other victims were two women in their 60s, a woman in her 70s, a male in his 60s, and three men in their 70s.
According to a statement from her family, Nhan, also known as "Mymy," loved to dance and spent a lot of time at the dance studio where she was slain. The family referred to Nhan as their "greatest cheerleader" and described her as a "kind aunt, sister, daughter, and friend."
Nhan was her husband's aunt, according to Tiffany Liou, a reporter for CNN station WFAA in Dallas, who also mentioned it on Twitter. According to Liou's tweet, "Mymy treated her nieces/nephews like her own kids." "Her gentleness is what the world needs right now."
Maksym Kapitanchuk, Nhan's dancing teacher, told CNN that she was a joy to be around.
Kapitanchuk remarked, "She would constantly grin. "Even with the mask on, I can see her eyes beaming, and I don't even believe I've ever seen her without it. She was everyone's favorite in the class, at any party, and in any class.
On Monday, little information about the other victims was known. According to a statement from the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, at least one of those slain was a Chinese national.
The Chinese Consulate issued a statement that read, "The terrible shooting event in the Chinese community is startling and very unfortunate," and that the Chinese embassies and consulates in the US had been instructed to lower their flags to half-staff.
Alvero, one of the victims, was a citizen of the United States with Filipino ancestry, according to a statement released on Monday by the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles.
The horrific shooting tragedy has left the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles "shocked and deeply saddened," the consulate stated. We offer our condolences to the victims' families and join them in their grief during this lunar new year festival, which is meant to be a time for getting together and celebrating.
Sources claim that the suspect was a regular at the dancing club.
To understand how Tran got to the brink of mass violence, authorities are trying to piece together various aspects of his life.
A Hemet Police spokeswoman confirmed that the sheriff's office also got a search warrant for Tran's residence at The Lakes at Hemet West, a senior community roughly 80 miles east of Monterey Park.
According to Hemet Police, Tran visited their location around two weeks ago and leveled grave accusations of malfeasance.
On January 7 and 9, 2023, "Tran visited the Hemet Police Department lobby, citing previous fraud, theft, and poisoning claims involving his family in the Los Angeles region 10 to 20 years ago," according to a statement from the police. "Tran said he would return to the station with proof of his claims, but he never did," said the police.
Three people who knew Tran told CNN that he was formerly a well-known figure at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, where he offered free dance lessons. But it's unclear if he visited at all or how frequently in recent years.
In fact, the ex-wife said that he presented himself to her at a dance approximately 20 years ago, promised her free lessons, and even met her there. She said that they were hitched quickly after meeting. Due to the sensitivity of the situation, she wanted to remain anonymous.
Tran occasionally drove trucks, according to the witness. According to a copy of his marriage certificate that she provided CNN, he was an immigrant from China.
And according to his ex-wife and others, Tran had a fiery temper. Tran never hit her, but according to his ex-wife, he would get angry if she missed a dance step because he believed it made him seem terrible.
The Saturday shooting in Monterey Park, California, the worst assault since the Uvalde massacre in May 2022, was one of 36 mass shootings that have taken place in the United States so far this year.
Civilian gunman at second site is unarmed
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| Civilian gunman at second site is unarmed |
If Brandon Tsay's efforts hadn't been successful, the slaughter may have been more fatal.
Tran fled and proceeded to the Lai Lai Ballroom and Facility in nearby Alhambra after starting fire at the dance studio in Monterey Park. When Tran entered, Tsay, who was working in the ticket office and whose family had owned the company for three generations, immediately realized the man was trouble.
Tsay said to CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday night that ran was mute and stoic and appeared to be surveying the room.
Then Tsay froze. He said that he noticed the man was pointing a gun at him.
"I'll pass away. That's it. I've reached my breaking point, Tsay remembers thinking. "However, something then occurred. Something overcame me.
He pounced at Tran and fought with him for around 40 seconds, but it seemed like "much longer," according to him. Tsay claimed that Tran repeatedly struck the man in the face, the back of the head, the hands, and the back.