California Shooter Kills Himself After Lunar New Year Massacre
The man who opened fire at a California dance venue during Lunar New Year celebration has died from suicide after his vehicle was surrounded by cops.
Yesterday, 22 January 2023 was Lunar New Year, it is the New Year for Chinese people. People across the world celebrated. However on 21 January 2023, a shocking incident occurred in Monterey Park in California, USA. The city of about 60,000 people is a quiet, peaceful, beautiful place where everybody knows each other and helps each other. The city has for decades been a destination for immigrants from China. Around 65% of its residents are Asian, according to U.S. Census data, and the city is known for its many Chinese restaurants and groceries. The area witnessed a huge crowd as people were enjoying skewers and shopping for Chinese food and jewelry. In Monterey Park there was a two-day Chinese Lunar New Year celebration where many downtown streets were closed for festivities that drew thousands of people. Close to these celebrations there is a place called Star Ballroom Dance Studio. Most of its patrons are middle-aged or seniors, though children also attend youth dance classes.
On 21st jan there was a Lunar New Year party and many old and young people had gathered there.
A gunman entered the place and opened fire at everyone. 10 people died (5 men and 5 women). They appeared to be in their 50s, 60s and beyond. The shooting took place shortly after 10:00 pm (local time) on Saturday. Eyewitnesses claimed the shooter was carrying a machine gun and fired at people who gathered for the Chinese New Year event. Those injured in the incident who have been sent to nearby hospitals by the first responders. The gunman tried to carry out another shooting at a separate club just minutes after the first one on Saturday night, but authorities said two bystanders wrestled the man's weapon away from him before any shots could be fired. He fled that scene. The accused gunman was yet to be identified or arrested by the police, and the motive behind the attack was also still unknown. The after intense investigation on Sunday 22 January the police tracked a van. Officers heard a single gunshot from the van as they approached, then fell back and called for backup.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna identified the suspect as Huu Can Tran. He was 72 years old. The sheriff's department released images of the suspect apparently taken from surveillance camera footage showing him wearing spectacles, dressed in a dark jacket and a dark beanie hat with white stripe. The pistol Tran used appeared to be illegal in California, where state laws ban any magazine holding more than 10 rounds. President Joe Biden condemned the killings in a written statement and said he had directed his Homeland Security adviser to mobilize federal support to local authorities. The attack in Monterey Park was the deadliest since May 2022, when a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas. The deadliest shooting in California history was in 1984 when a gunman killed 21 people at a McDonald's restaurant in San Ysidro, near San Diego.
