Monterey Park Mass Shooting: Suspect identified, dead after apparently shooting himself inside van, law enforcement says
The suspect in a mass shooting in Monterey Park, that left 10 dead and another 10 wounded has died, law enforcement confirmed Sunday.
He was identified Sunday evening by Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran. There are no outstanding suspects, Luna added.
The suspect apparently shot and killed himself inside a white van that police had surrounded. Sheriff Luna said earlier Sunday that law enforcement was dealing with a "barricaded suspect situation" in Torrance.
Luna said five men and five women were killed and another 10 wounded in the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park late Saturday night. Then, 20 to 30 minutes later, a man with a gun entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in nearby Alhambra.
Authorities believe the two events are connected. They offered no details about a possible motive.
Some 17 minutes after the Monterey Park attack, Tran entered the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in the 100 block of South Garfield Avenue in neighboring Alhambra.
Luna speculated that Tran was going to try to kill more people, "But two brave community members jumped into action and took his gun away," he said, adding that Tran then escaped.
Luna told the New York Times the pistol used in the shooting was probably not legal to own in California. He said the license plates on the van Tran was driving were not legal, and were probably stolen.
On Sunday afternoon, police surrounded a vehicle with a person inside who Luna said could "possibly" be the suspect, but said they did not know the condition of that person.
"We believe there is a person inside of that vehicle. We don't know their condition, but we're going to handle that in safest manner that we possibly can and try and identify that person. Could it be our suspect? Possibly," Luna said.
The dramatic scene involving the vehicle was captured overhead by news helicopters. Luna said they were still investigating how the van was linked to the suspect and the shooting. Footage from a helicopter above the van, which was located in a parking lot in Torrance in west Los Angeles, showed two armored vehicles positioned in front of and behind it, with officers in fatigues and body armor at the rear of one of the police vehicles.
Police had released a bulletin Sunday morning that described the suspect was a man of Asian descent who stands about 5 foot 10 inches and said he should be considered "armed and dangerous."
Luna said Sunday afternoon that a victim center had been set up and urged anyone to go who suspected a family member had been at the dance hall.
Luna said earlier Sunday that the investigation indicated that the suspect walked into the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in the city of Monterey Park on Saturday night and began firing before he was disarmed by patrons.
