Huu Can Tran was identified as the suspect in the mass shooting that killed at least nine people in Monterey Park, California.
LA Co sheriff
Huu Can Tran
Huu Can Tran was identified by the Los Angeles County sheriff as the suspect in the mass shooting that killed at least 10 people in a Monterey Park, California, ballroom dance studio.
The shooting broke out on Saturday, January 22, 2023, at approximately 10:22 p.m., according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. According to CNN, the mass shooting occurred “near a Lunar New Year festival celebration” in the Chinese community.
????POLICE IN TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, HAVE SURROUNDED A WHITE VAN IN A PARKING LOT.
THEY BELIEVE THE SUSPECT OF THE MASS SHOOTING IN MONTEREY PARK IS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. ???? pic.twitter.com/mCUQ5sKPv7
Megan Hawkins (@meganhawkinsabc) January 22, 2023
The news release gave the location as “100 blk. W. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park.”
The Sheriff’s Department released the suspect’s photo:
On Saturday January 21, 2023 at 10:22 PM the suspect male/adult/Asian pictured above was involved in a shooting. Investigators have identified him as a Homicide suspect and he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Contact LASD Homicide with any information at 323-890-5000. pic.twitter.com/2gPUBBybvv
— Robert Luna (@LACoSheriff) January 22, 2023
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said in a news conference on Sunday morning that there is a “male suspect that fled the scene and remains outstanding at this moment.” He was described as an Asian male. He said they have received different descriptions of the same suspect from witnesses.
However, in a later news conference, Luna said that the shooter is dead of a likely self-inflicted gunshot wound after police surrounded his van.
Asked whether it was a hate crime, Luna said earlier in the day, “Everything is on the table.” He said he doesn’t know if it is a hate crime as defined by law. He said the age range is between 30 and 50. He said a better description would be put out in the next few hours. In the late Sunday news conference, he said the motive is still not clear.
According to the Los Angeles Times, citing a source, the suspect “used a high powered assault rifle at close range.” However, Luna said “we don’t believe it was an assault rifle at this time,” but the type of weapon is still under investigation.
The Times called it “one of the worst in modern Los Angeles County history.”
Here’s what you need to know:
BREAKING: Mass Shooting Lunar Celebration in Monterey Park; Suspect still at large. 10 Killed, 10 Injured @KFIAM640 @MontereyParkPD #MassShooting pic.twitter.com/vQU6woGaYF
— Tim Conway Jr Show (@ConwayShow) January 22, 2023
Chester Chong, chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Log Angeles, told ABC7 in a live broadcast that he believes the suspect was a husband who had grown angry at his wife.
“This hate is because of a wife and husband,” he said when asked if the mass shooting was a hate crime. He said he heard that information from friends who went dancing and singing in the area. Chong told ABC7 that those people told him that the husband was angry because he didn’t want his wife to go to the dance hall, but she went anyway. Police have not yet confirmed that information.
However, Luna would only say it was a “possibility” that the suspect knew someone or people at the dance hall. He said the domestic angle is “on the table” as a possible motive, but he did not confirm it during the news conference.
