2023 – Jan 21, Lunar New Year mass shooting, Dance Studio, Monterey Park, LA Co., CA– 11
–11 CNN. “Death toll in Monterey Park mass shooting rises to 11…”1-23-2023.
–11 Fox News. “California: Police give update on Monterey Park shooting…” 1-26-2023.
–11 KCRA3, Sacramento. “What we know about the 11 victims killed in the Monterey Park shooting.” 1-25-2023.
Narrative Information
Los Angeles Times, Jan 22: “[A] gunman [Huu Can Tran, 72]…opened fire at…[the Star] ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park on Saturday night, killing 10 people and injuring 10 others… Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said a ‘very preliminary description’ was that the suspect is an Asian man aged 30 to 50, but he did not provide further details….The shooting occurred on Lunar New Year’s Eve about seven miles east of downtown Los Angeles….The mass shooting, one of California’s worst in recent memory, happened in the 100 block of West Garvey Avenue around 10:22 p.m. at what appears to be a business known as Star Dance Studio….
“Firefighters pronounced 10 people dead at the scene, including five men and five women, Luna said. At least 10 others were taken to numerous hospitals, and their conditions range from stable to critical.
“About 20 minutes after the shooting, a ‘male Asian suspect’ with a firearm walked into another dance hall [Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio] in the neighboring suburb of Alhambra, Luna said. ‘Some individuals [one — Brandon Tsay, 26, whose family owns the ballroom] wrestled the firearm from him, and that individual took off,’ he said….
“Seung Won Choi, who owns a seafood barbecue restaurant on Garvey Avenue across from where the shooting happened, said three people rushed into his restaurant and told him to lock the door. They said there was a man with a semiautomatic gun in the area. The shooter, they said, had multiple rounds of ammunition, so that once his ammunition ran out he reloaded, Choi said….
“The shooter was carrying a long gun and appeared to fire indiscriminately….
“Hate crimes against Asian Americans in California increased 177.5% in 2021, according to the California Department of Justice….
“Monterey Park, a city of 61,000 in the San Gabriel Valley, east of Los Angeles, is 65% Asian American, 27% Latino and 6% white, according to census data….” (Los Angeles Times. “Gunman still on the loose after 10 killed in mass shooting in Monterey Park dance studio.” 1-22-2023.)
Los Angeles Times, Jan 22, 1:34: “Authorities have breached a white van in Torrance that they believe is connected to the gunman who opened fire at a ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park on Saturday night, killing 10 people and injuring 10 others. [Torrance police pulled the van over in that it matched the description of the van seen at Alhambra. As a SWAT team approached Tran killed himself with a handgun.]
“Just before 1 p.m. Sunday, a SWAT team swarmed the vehicle and smashed its windows in the parking lot of Tokyo Central, a Japanese grocery store near the southwest corner of Hawthorne and Sepulveda boulevards.
“At least two bullet holes had been visible in the driver’s-side window in the moments prior to their approach, and the driver appeared to be slumped over the steering wheel. Multiple law enforcement sources told The Times that the driver had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound….” (Los Angeles Times. “Driver found dead after authorities breach van linked to Lunar New Year mass shooting.” 1-22-2023.)
Jan 23, AP: “Monterey Park, Calif. — The hunt for a gunman who killed 10 people at a Los Angeles-area ballroom dance club ended Sunday when authorities found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the van he used to flee after people thwarted his attempt at a second shooting.
“Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna identified the man as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran and said no other suspects were at large. Speaking at an evening news conference, he added that the motive remained unclear for the attack, which wounded 10 more.
“Luna did not have the exact ages of the victims but said they all appeared to be over 50. Seven of the wounded people remained in the hospital, he said.
“The sheriff added that the suspect was carrying what he described as a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, and a second handgun was discovered in the van where Tran was found dead.” (Associated Press (Jae C. Hong. “10 killed in California mass shooting amid Lunar New Year celebrations; suspect is dead.” KCAL/KCBS, Los Angeles, 1-23-2023 update.)
Jan 23, CNN: “The death toll in Saturday’s mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, rose to 11 on Monday as investigators searched the gunman’s background for an explanation as to the massacre….The LAC+USC Medical Center, which treated four of the 10 wounded, said Monday that one had died from their injuries.
“All of the victims – five men and six women – were over the age of 50, and three were over 70 years old, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
“Four of the victims were identified as 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 man, the office said. The other victims were described as two women in their 60s, a woman in her 70s, a man in his 60s and three men in their 70s, the office said.
“The deaths comes as investigators pore into the history of the 72-year-old gunman, Huu Can Tran, who opened fire on revelers celebrating Lunar New Year in the majority-Asian American city.
“Afterward, Tran went to another dance studio in nearby Alhambra, but was tackled and disarmed by a civilian. He fled the scene and police found him a day later in a white van about 30 miles away in Torrance, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound….
“There are as yet few clues as to the motivation of the shooter, an elderly Chinese immigrant described as having an interest in dance and a hot temper.
“In carrying out the attack, he used a semi-automatic assault pistol with an extended large-capacity magazine, authorities said. A law enforcement official told CNN it was a Cobray M11 9 mm semi-automatic weapon. The weapon, which had been disarmed at the Alhambra dance studio, was traced to the suspect, giving authorities his name and description….
“In his white van in Torrance, investigators found a handgun as well as ‘several pieces of evidence’ linking him to the Monterey Park and Alhambra dance studios, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
“The sheriff’s department also obtained a search warrant for Tran’s home in The Lakes at Hemet West, a senior community about 80 miles east of Monterey Park, a Hemet Police spokesperson confirmed.
“Hemet Police also said Tran had visited their office two weeks ago and made serious allegations of wrongdoing. ‘Tran visited the Hemet Police Department lobby on January 7 and 9, 2023, alleging past fraud, theft, and poisoning allegations involving his family in the Los Angeles area 10 to 20 years ago,’ police said in a statement. ‘Tran stated he would return to the station with documentation regarding his allegations but never returned.’
“Tran had once been a familiar face at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, where he gave informal dance lessons, three people who knew him told CNN. But it’s not clear how often he visited in recent years, if at all. He even met his ex-wife there about two decades ago after he saw her at a dance, introduced himself and offered her free lessons, the ex-wife said. The two married soon after they met, she said. She asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the case…. While he was never violent to her, the ex-wife said, Tran would get upset if she missed a step dancing because he felt it made him look bad.
“Tran worked as a truck driver at times, she said. He was an immigrant from China, according to a copy of his marriage license she showed to CNN….”
Jan 23, AP: “Monterey Park, Calif. — Investigators searching for a motive in the largest mass shooting in Los Angeles County history say a search of the suspected gunman’s home discovered a rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and evidence he was manufacturing gun silencers….
“A man who said he had been a longtime friend of Tran told The Associated Press that the gunman once frequented the dance hall and another that he also targeted and griped about the way he thought people treated him there….” Associated Press. “Monterey Park Shooting: Sheriff seeking what drove ‘mad man’ to shoot up dance hall.” KCRA, 1-23-2023 update.)
Jan 25, CNN: “….Three people who knew Tran [Huu Can Tran], including his ex-wife, told CNN he had once been a familiar face at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, where he gave informal dance lessons. But it’s not clear how often he visited in recent years, if at all, and authorities are still investigating whether he knew any of the victims. ‘There is certainly the appearance that this was targeted,’ Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón told CNN. ‘Clearly, he knew where he was going, and he was familiar with both of the locations.’….
“Those who had met the suspect said he had a hot temper and a difficult temperament. Ilie Bardahan, a dancer at the Lai Lai Ballroom in Alhambra, said Tran had a ‘very bad temperament,’ adding ‘people say he was a little bit psycho in a sense.’ ‘Very sharp movement, pushing a little bit, not being satisfied with certain, I don’t know, improvements of whatever students he had,’ Bardahan said.
“Adam Hood said he rented an apartment from Tran and knew him for 20 years, but they had a falling out and haven’t seen each other in about 8 or 9 years. He said Tran went by the name ‘Andy.’ ‘His personality can be summed up in two words: distrust – he did not trust anyone – and hatred. He could hate people to death. He pushed it to the extreme,’ Hood said. ‘(He hated) whoever he thought was not nice to him. There were other dance instructors he did not like at both (dance studios).’ Hood added Tran thought ‘the instructors were not nice to him, he thought they spoke evil of him. That was baseless. He was always unhappy with the people in the studios, always complaining about studio bosses and other instructors, not about the students. It was all in his mind.’….” (CNN. “11 victims of Monterey Park mass shooting ranged in age from 57 to 76 years old, coroner says.” 1-25-2023.)
Named Victims
1. Valentino Marcos Alvero, 68
2. Hongying Jian (also known as Nancy Liu), 62.
3. Yu-Lun Kao, 72
4. Lilian Li, 63
5. Ming Wei Ma, 72
6. My [or Mymy] Nhan, 65 (Regularly attended the Star Dance Studio on weekends.)
7. Diana Man Ling Tom, 70 (Died Jan 22 in hospital from wounds.)
8. Muoi Dai Ung, 67
9. Chia Ling Yau, 76
10. Wen-Tau Yu, 64 (Identified by authorities in California.)
11. Xiujuan Yu, 57 (Name released by LA Dept. of Med. Examiner-Coroner.)
Sources
ABC News. “All victims identified.” 1-24-2023. Accessed 1-24-2023 at: https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/monterey-park-mass-shooting/?id=96603692#96638294
ABC News. “Monterey Park shooting victims: Dance studio regular among those who died, family says.” 1-24-2023. Accessed 1-24-2022 at: https://abcnews.go.com/US/monterey-park-shooting-victims-dance-studio-regular-died/story?id=96593758
Associated Press (Jae C. Hong. “10 killed in California mass shooting amid Lunar New Year celebrations; suspect is dead.” KCAL/KCBS, Los Angeles, 1-23-2023 update. Accessed 1-23-2023 at: https://www.kcra.com/article/monterey-park-california-mass-shooting/42607414
Associated Press. “Monterey Park Shooting: Sheriff seeking what drove ‘mad man’ to shoot up dance hall.” KCRA, 1-23-2023 update. Accessed 1-25-2023 at: https://www.kcra.com/article/los-angeles-area-search-for-motive-in-monterey-park-lunar-new-year-killings/42621978
BBC News. “Monterey Park shooting: Suspect found dead after dance studio attack.” 1-23-2023. Accessed 1-24-2023 at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64368796
BBC News, US & Canada. “Monterey Park shooting: Who were the victims?” 1-24-2023. Accessed 1-25-2023 at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64380649
CNN. “11 victims of Monterey Park mass shooting ranged in age from 57 to 76 years old, coroner says.” 1-25-2023. Accessed 1-25-2023 at: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/24/us/monterey-park-california-mass-shooting-tuesday/index.html
CNN. “Death toll in Monterey Park mass shooting rises to 11 as investigators search for gunman’s motive.” 1-23-2023. Accessed 1-23-2023 at: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/23/us/monterey-park-california-mass-shooting-monday/index.html
Fox News. “California: Police give update on Monterey Park shooting; identify weapons used in Lunar New Year assault.” 1-26-2023. Accessed 1-26-2023 at: https://www.foxnews.com/us/police-update-monterey-park-shooting-identify-weapons-lunar-new-year-assault
KCRA 3, Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto. “What we know about the 11 victims killed in the Monterey Park shooting.” 1-25-2023 update. Accessed 1-26-2023 at: https://www.kcra.com/article/monterey-park-shooting-lunar-new-year-victims/42645778
KTLA 5, Los Angeles. “Lunar New Year Shooting: what we know about the victims.” 1-24-2023. Accessed 1-24-2023 at: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/monterey-park-shooting/lunar-new-year-shooting-what-we-know-about-the-victims/
Los Angeles Times. “Driver found dead after authorities breach van linked to Lunar New Year mass shooting.” 1-22-2023. Accessed 1-22-2023 at: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-01-22/la-me-monterey-park-mass-shooting
Los Angeles Times. “Gunman still on the loose after 10 killed in mass shooting in Monterey Park dance studio.” 1-22-2023. Accessed 1-22-2023 at: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-01-22/la-me-monterey-park-mass-shooting
Los Angeles Times. “’I was gonna die here’: How a man disarmed the Monterey Park shooter.” 1-23-2023. Accessed 1-24-2023 at: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-01-23/hero-disarms-monterey-park-shooter
New York Times. “A Dreamy Place of Refuge Turns Into Another Spasm of American Violence.” 1-23-2023, updated 1.-24-2023. Accessed 1-24-2023 at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/23/us/monterey-park-shooting-victims.html