'This thing would happen sooner or later,' says a man who knew the Monterey Park shooter
While investigators continue to try to uncover motive in Saturday night's Monterey Park mass shooting, a man who rented a cabin on the the 72-year-old shooting suspect's property says many of their conversations centered around the dance studio where the massacre took place.
Huu Can Tran shot and killed 11 people and wounded 10 others Jan. 21 at the Star Ballroom Dance Sudio in Monterey Park as the community celebrated the Lunar New Year. He fled the scene, and his white van was later was located by Torrance police Jan. 22. As police approached the white van, a gunshot was heard and police found Tran dead inside with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Statics gathered by The Violence Project, which is a nonprofit research center, found the median age of mass shooters is 32. This makes this case all the more unusual and perplexing, with the suspect being a 72 year old man – shooting and killing other defenseless senior citizens.
According to the Violence Project, Tran is two years older than the previous oldest person to commit a mass shooting (the shooting and killing of four or more people in a public space).
So maybe the 'why' is not known yet, but Tran's former tenant said he and Tran talked nearly every day for the seven years he lived on his San Gabriel property, until 2014, and it sounds like Tran was often unhappy with situations at the dance studio.
"First thing I was shocked. Next thing, I would say, this thing would happen sooner or later," said the former tenant who wished to remain anonymous. "For example if last night he was not happy in the dance studio, he would complain to me, who was not nice to me (Tran)."
Tran had most recently been living in Hemet, and police there reported that he visited the Hemet Police Station Jan. 7 and Jan. 9., saying his family was trying to poison him and scam him out of his money.
A spokesperson reported that Tran did not have a criminal record in Hemet, but on Jan. 22 investigators found a large cache of ammunition, silencer manufacturing materials and a rifle in his home.
When the former tenant was asked if Tran ever discussed guns, or having guns with him, the tenant said "Not to my knowledge, I never saw and weapons in his possession."
The Monterey Park Police chief reported they are trying to determine the motive, but it's difficult because the suspect is dead, and it may never be known 'why.'