11 killed in Monterey Park shooting spree, shooting suspect found dead

Rep. Judy Chu was celebrating Lunar New Year just hours before the deadly shooting.

UPDATED 1 p.m., Jan. 23 to include additional fatality.

The Lunar New Year celebration Saturday night turned into a nightmare when a gunman opened fire at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, killing 11 and wounding at least nine more.

The shooting occurred a few minutes at 10:22 p.m. and police swarmed to the Chinese-owned dance studio minutes later. Police began a manhunt for the shooter. Ten victims were pronounced dead at the scene and one of the wounded brought to a local hospital died Monday morning.

"Monterey Park should have had a night of joyful celebration of the Lunar New Year. Instead, they were the victims of a horrific and heartless act of gun violence," tweeted California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna at a Sunday evening news conference identified the suspect as Huu Can Tran, a 72-year-old man whose body he said was found inside a white van with self-inflicted gunshot wounds following a standoff with police in Torrance,about 30-minutes south.

Police don't have a motive for the senseless carnage. Authorities have not released the names of the victims until their families could be identified. The studio, popular with the elderly, was just completed celebrating the Lunar New Year kickoff so most if not all of the victims may be Asian Americans.

Officials said 20 to 30 minutes after the Monterey Park shooting spree, Tran drove to nearby Alhambra where he entered the Lai Lai Ballroom which was another Lunar New Year celebration was being held There, Luna said Tran "was disarmed by two community members who I consider to be heroes because they saved lives. This could have been much worse."

Tran was able to get away. Tran's white van was spotted in a Torrance parking lot Sunday morning where police cordoned off the area and surrounded the van. Around 1 p.m., swat team members approached the van and found Tran already dead from a gunshot.

Police released these pictures of the shooting suspect Huu Can Tran during the manhunt.

"I want to assure the community of Monterey Park and the broader area that we will support you in every way we can," said President Biden. "Even as we continue searching for answers about this attack, we know how deeply this attack has impacted the AAPI community." Biden ordered flags be flown at half-mast at government installations and military bases across the nation. He asked the the Department of Homeland Security and FBI to extend any help local authorities might need.

Monterey Park is one of the first suburban Asian American communities as Asian immigrants began leaving the urban centers in the late 20th century. About 65% of the population in the city east of Los Angeles is of Asian descent.

The city's Lunar New Year's festivities have been known to attract 100,000 celebrants. At a Sunday news conference, Monterey Park Mayor Henry Lo said: "It is important that we be there for (the victims' families), to provide services and support they need in what will be a time of healing in the next weeks, months, if not years."

Saturday’s mass shooting joins a staggering 32 others from just the first three weeks of 2023, per the Gun Violence Archive.

A number of community agencies, including Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL), in partnership with The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF), Stop AAPI Hate, Gold House, Stand with Asian Americans and Chinatown Service Center, have organized a campaign on GoFundMe for the benefit of the victims.

Rep. Judy Chu, who represents the area in Congress and who served as Monterey Park mayor issued a a statement, saying, "It is horrific to think that only hours before, and only one block away, I joined with thousands of people and many elected officials at the opening of the Lunar New Year Festival. But now, Asian Americans in the Monterey Park community and nationwide are in mourning and are terrified instead of celebrating.

“I have lived in Monterey Park for 37 years. I served on the city council, and as Mayor 3 times in this city. If there is one thing I know, it is that Monterey Park is resilient. Our community is strong, and we will get through this terrible event together.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a developing story. Follow up stories will be posted as authorities release more information. For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.