A gunman killed 10 people at a ballroom dance hall during a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration late on Saturday near Los Angeles after fleeing the scene and later killing himself when approached by police on Sunday, authorities said.
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Gunman killed self in his van
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said police had tracked a wanted van and when officers approached, they heard one gunshot from within the van. The man has been identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran.
Reuters
Aerial footage showed the white transit van hemmed in by two armored police vehicles, while a large number of police cars stood nearby in Torrance, south of Los Angeles.
The development came as Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released images of the man they were looking for.
“The suspect sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene,” Luna said.
“I can confirm that there are no outstanding suspects from the mass shooting incident,” Luna said, adding the motive for the attack, which left 10 people dead, was not yet known.
Attack killed 5 men, 5 women
Reuters
The shooting in Monterey Park took place about 10:20 p.m. on Saturday at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in a building on West Garvey Avenue, a main thoroughfare. Earlier in the day, the location had hosted a festival celebrating the eve of the Lunar New Year, a major holiday in many Asian communities.
Five men and five women were killed, the authorities said. The victims have not yet been named, but were, like the regular clientele at the ballroom, mostly in their 50s and 60s, the sheriff said. He added that seven of the survivors remain hospitalized.
He entered another club after shooting
Reuters
Luna said that he had acted alone. The gun that the authorities believe he used is likely illegal to possess in California, the sheriff said.
About 20 minutes after the attack in Monterey Park, investigators believe, the suspect walked into another dance hall in the neighboring city of Alhambra, where he was disarmed in what Sheriff Luna called an act of heroism. No one there was injured.