MONTEREY PARK, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 23: People embrace at a makeshift memorial outside the scene of a deadly mass shooting at a ballroom dance studio on January 23, 2023 in Monterey Park, California. An eleventh person has died and ten more were injured at the studio near a Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday night. A candlelight vigil for the victims will be held in the predominantly Asian American community of Monterey Park tonight. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The community of Monterey Park is mourning after a mass shooting at a dance studio left 11 dead and nine others injured Saturday night.
About an hour before the shooting, the city had just held a celebration where thousands of people attended a Lunar New Year festival. Most of the crowds had already left before the shooting.
Saturday was a night where the community was celebrating the Lunar New Year. Monterey Park's festival is one of the largest Lunar New Year events in Southern California.
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At approximately 10:22 p.m., police responded to the call of a shooting at a dance studio on the corner of Garvey and Garfield avenues.
Around 10:30 p.m., officers arrived on scene and entered the Star Dance studio, located on 122 W. Garvey Ave.
When officers arrived at the scene, people were screaming as they ran out of the dance hall, Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said. Several victims were found in the parking lot.
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The Star Ballroom Dance Studio's website said it was hosting an event that night called "Star Night" from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
About 20 minutes later, the gunman arrived at Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio located at 121 S. Garfield Ave. in Alhambra, about two miles from the first studio.
Once at the Lai Lai dance studio, Brandon Tsay encountered the suspect, later identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran.
Tsay, whose family owns the Lai Lai dance studio, wrestled with the gunman and disarmed him, likely avoiding another tragedy.
The gunman fled the scene where some witnesses say they saw him leave in a white cargo van.
Sunday morning, a white van coinciding with the description of the gunman’s getaway vehicle was reported at a parking lot across from the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, about 30 miles from Alhambra.
At around 1 p.m., armored SWAT vehicles and law enforcement SUVs surrounded the white cargo van.
Officers approached the van when they heard a single gunshot. It was later confirmed that the suspected gunman was inside the van and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The gunman opened fire with what was believed to be a MAC-10, which is a compact submachine gun. The NBC4 I-Team reported that those have not been sold in California for decades.
Numerous law enforcement agencies continue working on the investigation as new details emerge.
As of Monday, 11 people were confirmed dead and nine others injured.
On Monday, the coroner’s office identified the victims killed in the shooting as:
- Mymy Nhan, 65
- Lilian Li, 63
- Xiujuan Yu, 57
- Muoi Ung, 67
- Hong Jian, 62
- Yu Kao, 72
- Chia Yau, 76
- Valentino Alvero, 68
- Wen Yu, 64
- Ming Ma, 72
- Diana Tom, 70
It was not immediately clear whether the shooter knew any of the victims.
The massacre was the nation’s fifth mass killing this month.
The city of Monterey Park is offering mental health resources at the Langley Senior Center located at 400 N. Emerson Ave. for anyone affected by the mass shooting.
