California shooting suspect kills himself after Lunar New Year massacre

A 72-year-old gunman killed himself when approached by police on Sunday, about 12 hours after he had carried out a Lunar New Year massacre at a dance club that left 10 people dead and 10 wounded.

The gunman tried to carry out another shooting at a separate club minutes after the first one on Saturday night, but authorities said two bystanders wrestled the man’s weapon away from him before shots could be fired. He fled that scene.

Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna identified the suspect as Huu Can Tran, a septuagenarian he said used a high-capacity magazine pistol to shoot at a ballroom dance venue popular with older patrons in Monterey Park, about 11km east of downtown Los Angeles.

Investigators did not yet know a motive, although gun violence is frequent in the US.

Luna did not identify any victims but said the five men and five women appeared to be in their 50s, 60s and beyond. The sheriff said the pistol Tran used appeared to be illegal in California, where state laws ban any magazine holding more than 10 rounds.

“We want to know how something this awful can happen,” Luna said.

After Tran carried out the shooting in Monterey Park at about 10pm on Saturday, he was confronted by bystanders at a second dance club in the neighbouring city of Alhambra about 20 minutes later, Luna said.

“The suspect walked in there, probably with the intent to kill more people, and two brave community members decided they were going to jump into action and disarm him.”

The sheriff said Tran turned a handgun on himself on Sunday as police approached a van he was driving in Torrance, about 34km from the site of the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park. Officers heard a single gunshot from the van as they approached.

Of the 10 people injured, seven remained hospitalised on Sunday night, with at least one person in critical condition.

The shooting took place around the location of a two-day Chinese Lunar New Year celebration where many downtown streets are closed for festivities that draw thousands of people from across Southern California.

Residents stood gazing at the many blocks sealed off with police tape on Sunday in Monterey Park.

Chester Chong, chair of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, described the city of about 60,000 people as a quiet and peaceful place where everybody knows and helps each other.

The city has for decades been a destination for immigrants from China. About 65% of its residents are Asian, according to US Census data, and the city is known for its many Chinese restaurants and grocery stores.

“People were calling me last night. They were scared this was a hate crime,” Chong said at the scene.

The Star Ballroom Dance Studio opened in 1990 and its website features photographs of past Lunar New Year celebrations showing patrons smiling and dancing in party clothes in its ballroom.

Most patrons are middle-aged or seniors, though children attend youth dance classes, according to a teacher at the studio who asked to not be named.

A flyer posted on the website advertised Saturday night’s party, running from 7.30pm to 12.30am on  Sunday.

The gunshots were mistaken by some for new year fireworks, according to Tiffany Chiu, 30, who was celebrating at her parents’ home near the ballroom.

“A lot of older people live here. It is usually really quiet. This is not something you expect here,” she said.

US President Joe Biden condemned the killings in a written statement and said he had directed his homeland security adviser to mobilise 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.

Reuters