MONTEREY PARK— A mass shooting occurred during a Lunar New Year celebration at a dance studio on Saturday, January 21, leaving 10 people dead and 10 injured. The suspect was located and confirmed dead by self-inflicted gunshot wound, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Luna confirmed in a press conference on Sunday, January 22.
On Saturday, Monterey Park police officers responded to a report of a shooting at 122 Garvey Avenue at 10:22 p.m. Upon arrival, officers observed numerous individuals fleeing the location. Officers entered the building and discovered 10 deceased victims – five men and five women – as well as 10 others wounded. All wounded victims were transported to local hospitals and listed in stable to critical condition.
A separate incident occurred approximately 17 to 20 minutes after the Monterey Park shooting, where a suspect entered 121 South Garfield Avenue, the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, with a firearm. Two individuals were able to wrestle the firearm away from the suspect, who fled in a white van, according to Luna.
At 10:20 a.m. on Sunday, January 21, Torrance city police officers were tipped off that a man in a white van matching the description of the suspect’s, was located near the area of Sepulveda Boulevard and Hawthorne Boulevard. Officers responded to the scene and pursued the white van into a shopping center parking lot. As officers exited their patrol vehicle to contact the occupant, one gunshot was heard coming from within the van. Officers retreated and requested several tactical teams to respond, Luna said.
By 12:52 p.m. LA County Sheriff’s SWAT team approached and cleared the van. They determined the suspect sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators conducted a search of the vehicle and determined the man inside the van was the mass shooting suspect, identified as Huu Can Tran, 72.
During the search, several pieces of evidence including a handgun, were found inside the van linking the suspect to both incidents in Monterey Park and Alhambra. The weapon that was uncovered at the Alhambra location was a semi-automatic assault pistol with an extended large capacity magazine attachment, Luna noted. This is considered an illegal weapon in California, he added.
The investigation is still ongoing to identify victims and determine a motive behind the shooting.
According to 49th District Assemblymember, Mike Fong, anyone seeking assistance or trauma relief should visit the Langley Center in Monterey Park.
