MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (KABC) — Authorities are still trying to determine a motive for the gunman who killed 10 people and wounded 10 others at a Monterey Park dance studio, killings that left the community in shock.
The suspect, 72-year-old Huu Canh Tran, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a van in Torrance on Sunday, the end of an hours-long manhunt for the gunman.
According to law enforcement, the suspect has no known criminal history. Investigators are looking into the possibility that domestic violence played a role in Saturday’s mass shooting.
The next day, law enforcement agents swooped in and entered the van associated with the suspect, after surrounding it for hours before entering. A man’s body appeared to have slumped over the steering wheel and was later removed from the vehicle. At an evening press conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed that the body found was that of the suspected shooter.
Authorities said Tran used the van to escape after being prevented from attacking another dance hall in the Alhambra, about 17 minutes after opening fire at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio on West Garvey Avenue.
At the Alhambra Ballroom, Tran entered with a firearm and some people wrested the firearm away, Luna said.
A surveillance image obtained by Eyewitness News shows the moment a man inside the Lai Lai Ballroom confronted and disarmed the suspect. Tran then fled the scene.
Very little is known about Tran or his connection to the targeted community and dance halls. Public records show he once had addresses in Monterey Park and neighboring towns.
But Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said a motive remained unclear for the attack, which also injured 10 people. Speaking at a news conference Sunday night, Luna said all of the people killed appeared to be over 50. There are no other suspects at large, according to the sheriff.
“I still have questions in the back of my mind, namely: What was the motive for this shooter? Did he have a mental illness? Has he committed domestic violence? How did he get these weapons and was it legally or not?” said Congresswoman Judy Chu.
Luna added that the suspect was carrying what he described as a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, which the sheriff said he believes is illegal to have in California. A second gun was found in the van where Tran was found dead.
Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said Sunday night that within three minutes of receiving the call just after 10 p.m. Saturday, officers arrived at the Monterey Park dance studio. There they found carnage inside and people trying to escape through all the doors.
“When they pulled into the parking lot, it was chaos,” Wiese said.
“The first officers on the scene were some of my youngest officers,” said Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Weese. “They were only on the street for a short period of time.
Wiese said officers arrived at a scene that “none of them were prepared for,” but did not hesitate to enter.
Luna said authorities are looking for that white van after witnesses reported seeing the suspect flee the Alhambra in such a vehicle.
Sources tell ABC7 the license plates on that van were stolen. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office took the Alhambra’s license plate. Using that license plate information, the Torrance Police Department stopped the van around 10:20 a.m.
WATCH: Van linked to Monterey Park shooting suspect has stolen license plates, sources say
Police heard a gunshot from the vehicle after the driver pulled into the parking lot. Police tactical teams were then dispatched to the scene.
“So the sharing of information is what allowed the Torrance Police Department to be able to do a good police job of actually spotting this van on their streets,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Janice Hahn.
Law enforcement was seen converging on the suspect’s mobile home in Hemet Sunday night after serving a search warrant.
Thorn lived there for about a year, according to neighbors. Pat Roth says he was a dance instructor but didn’t know much else about him. He says he lived alone.
“It didn’t strike me that he had an angry bone in his body, but that’s just seeing him come and go,” Roth said. “So I don’t know. It’s a little nerve-wracking.”
Meanwhile, seven of the injured remained in the hospital Sunday night, Luna said.
The sheriff said the department typically does not release the names of hospitals where victims of violent crimes are treated. But in this case, he said, an embarrassing incident reinforced the decision to keep that information private.
“Someone called one of these hospitals to say something like they wanted to go and do the work,” Luna said. “It’s absolutely horrible.”
“Please, these victims and survivors are dealing with so much. Let’s not traumatize them any more.”
All families and victims affected by the shooting are urged to go to the Langley Senior Center at 400 W. Emerson Avenue, where a crisis response team is located.
Luna said five women and five men were among the deceased victims.
Those victims have not yet been officially identified by authorities, but friends have identified one of the dead as dance instructor Ming Wei Ma. He was known for his patience and understanding.
Friends say he gave his life trying to save others.
“Mr. Ma, who is well-loved and well-respected in the dance community and he’s been doing this for over 20 years — he was trying to stop the shooter and he died,” said friend Eric Chen.
The Monterey Park massacre was the nation’s fifth mass killing this month. It was also the deadliest attack since May 24, when 21 people were killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
The shooting happened in the city center, where red lanterns decorated the streets for the Lunar New Year celebrations. The celebration in Monterey Park is one of the largest in California. Two days of festivities were planned, which in recent years have been attended by over 100,000 people. But authorities canceled Sunday’s events after the shooting.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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