Monterey Park Mass Shooting: Suspect identified, dead after apparently shooting himself inside the van, law enforcement says

Monterey Park Mass Shooting: Suspect identified, dead after apparently shooting himself inside the van,


Monterey Park Mass Shooting: Suspect identified, dead after apparently shooting himself inside the van

02:38

The suspect in a mass shooting in Monterey Parkthat left 10 dead and another 10 wounded have died, a law enforcement source told KCAL News Sunday.

He was identified Sunday evening by Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran. There are no outstanding suspects, Luna added.

The suspect apparently shot and killed himself in a white van that the police had surrounded. Sheriff Luna said earlier Sunday that law enforcement was dealing with a “barricaded suspect situation” in Torrance.

Luna said five men and five women were killed and another 10 wounded in the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park late Saturday night. Then, 20 to 30 minutes later, a safe with a gun entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in the nearby Alhambra.

Authorities believe the two events are connected. They offered no details about a possible motive.

On Sunday afternoon, the police surrounded a vehicle with a person inside who Luna said could “possibly” be the suspect, but said they did not know the condition of that person.

“We believe there is a person inside of that vehicle. We don’t know their condition, but we’re going to handle that in the safest manner that we possibly can and try and identify that person. Could it be our suspect? Possibly, “Luna said.

The dramatic scene involving the vehicle was captured overhead by news helicopters. Luna said they were still investigating how the van was linked to the suspect and the shooting. Footage from a helicopter above the van, which was located in a parking lot in Torrance in west Los Angeles, showing two armored vehicles positioned in front of and behind it, with officers in fatigues and body armor at the rear of one of the police vehicles .

California Shooting
SWAT personnel surround a van, not seen, in Torrance Calif., Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023. A mass shooting took place at a dance club following a Lunar New Year celebration, setting off a manhunt for the suspect.

Damian Dovarganes / AP


Police had released a bulletin Sunday morning that described the suspect was a man of Asian descent who stands about 5 feet 10 inches and said he should be considered “armed and dangerous.”

Luna said Sunday afternoon that a victim center had been set up and urged anyone to go who suspected a family member had been at the dance hall.

Luna said earlier Sunday that the investigation indicated that the suspect walked into the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in the city of Monterey Park on Saturday night and began firing before he was disarmed by patrons.

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A bulletin released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department asks for help identifying a suspect in the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, that occurred on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2023.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department