Monterey Park Mass Shooting: President Biden says he's praying for those hurt and injured
President Joe Biden released a statement on Sunday about a mass shooting in Monterey Park that left ten people dead, and another 10 injured after a Lunar New Year celebration in the area.
In the statement, Biden said:
"Jill and I are praying for those killed and injured in last night's deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park. I'm monitoring this situation closely as it develops, and urge the community to follow guidance from local officials and law enforcement in the hours ahead."
Earlier in the day, Vice President Kamala Harris took time out a speech In Tallahassee, Florida to address the Monterey Park mass shooting.
"I do want to address the tragedy of what happened In my home state in Monterey Park, California," Harris said. "A time of a cultural celebration and yet another community has been torn apart by senseless gun violence."
On Monday morning, the Los Angeles County coroner's office identified two of the 10 people pronounced dead Saturday night as My Nhan, 65, and Lilan Li, 63. Two additional victims were identified Monday afternoon as Xiujuan Yu, 57, and Valentino Alvero, 68.
The names of the other victims were withheld, pending notification of their relatives. According to the coroner's office, they were two women in their 60s, one man in his 60s, and three men in their 70s. The patient who subsequently died at County-USC Medical Center was a woman in her 70s, according to the coroner's office.
According to authorities, at approximately 10:22 p.m. Saturday, officers from the Monterey Park police department responded to a "shots fired" call at a dance studio on the 100 block of West Garvey Avenue in Monterey Park.
Los Angeles County Sheriff' Robert Luna said Sunday that the investigation indicated that the apparent suspect walked into the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park on Saturday night and began firing before he was disarmed by patrons.
A witness who did not want to be identified was inside the ballroom when the shooting happened. She told KCAL News the suspect was looking for his ex-wife and found her at the event. She said that's when he started shooting.
"I just saw him, to shoot, to hold the gun, so I run and I hide myself," the witness recalled.
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.
On Sunday afternoon, police surrounded a vehicle in Torrance with a person inside who Luna said could "possibly" be the suspect, but said they did not know the condition of that person. The suspect apparently shot and killed himself inside a white van that police had surrounded.
He was identified Sunday evening by Luna as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran. There are no outstanding suspects, Luna added.
