Monterey Park holds fundraiser to honor those killed in last year's mass shooting
The man who saved dozens of people from a gunman is hosting a community remembrance fair on Saturday a year after the deadly Monterey Park shooting.
Hero Brandon Tsay disarmed the Monterey Park shooter when he entered his family's Alhambra dance studio to continue his killing spree.
"He opened both those metal doors," said Brenda Tsay, Brandon's sister. "He walked through that very narrow doorway and pointed a gun at Brandon.
Brenda said that they have worked hard to move forward. The event on Saturday is meant to bring the community together.
"Just to celebrate, a year has passed, and we are still here," said Brenda. "Everyone is still going and everyone is still dancing ... To remember that we've also lost quite a large group from our community."
Before traveling to Tsay's ballroom, the gunman stormed into the Star Ballroom on Jan. 21 and started shooting. Shally Ung was with her dance partner Andy Kao.
"We both hid under the table," Ung said. "At that time we were so scared."
Kao was one of the 11 dancers killed that night.
"I said 'Andy, Andy' and he didn't respond at all," Ung recalled.
In the months that followed, Ung found her dancing shoes again and showed that she could still cha cha while in her Arcadia donut shop, which she owns with her husband. In Kao's memory, all of today's sales went to the Monterey Park Hope Resiliency Center.
Customers came in happy to contribute. Today would have been Kao's 73rd birthday.
