Suspected gunman in killing of 10 in Los Angeles found dead

Los Angeles, January 23 (RHC)-- In Southern California, a gunman shot and killed 10 people at a dance studio in Monterey Park Saturday night after a Lunar New Year celebration.  Ten others were injured.  

The suspected gunman, identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, fatally shot himself Sunday as a SWAT team approached the van he was in, which was parked outside a strip mall in the city of Torrance, about 28 miles from Monterey Park. 

Monterey Park, east of Los Angeles, has a majority-Asian population, and the dance studio was a beloved community staple.  CNN reports the suspect used to regularly frequent the Star Ballroom Dance Studio and met his ex-wife there.  A motive for the massacre is still being investigated. 

The group Stop AAPI Hate said in a statement: “Our community has faced so much tragedy and trauma over the last several years. While the details are still developing, we do know that the shooter’s access to guns turned this into a massacre.” 

Congressmember Judy Chu, who represents the district, also called for stricter gun control measures on Sunday.  Rep. Judy Chu told reporters: “Something has to be done.  We have to stop having the availability of these assault weapons on the streets so that it’s so easy for somebody to just walk into an establishment and shoot people and ruin their lives.”

The Monterey Park massacre was the 33rd mass shooting of 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. At least three other mass shootings have taken place across the U.S. since then, including in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where 12 people were injured early Sunday in a nightclub shooting.