As officers close in, a man suspected of murdering 10 people in a Chinese new year mass shooting in California shot himself in the back of his van.
Robert Luna, Los Angeles County Sheriff, said that the man was found dead inside the vehicle he fled from the scene of a second attempted shooting.
Huu Can Tran, 72 years old, was identified as the suspected gunman.
Sheriff Luna stated that no other suspects are still at large.
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On Sunday, police had already surrounded the van using bomb squad trucks and tactical vehicles.
Sherriff Luna stated that the earlier shooting at Star Ballroom Dance Studio, Monterey Park, left five men and five women dead while another 10 were injured.
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Tiffany Chiu (30), who was celebrating her 30th birthday, said that some people mistakenly thought the gunshots were new year fireworks.
Parents’ house near the ballroom.
She told Reuters that she knows of “a lot of older residents here, it’s usually very quiet”, This is not what you would expect.
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A man carrying a gun entered the Lai Lai Ballroom, Alhambra, about 20-30 minutes later.
Authorities believe that the events are related, but they have not provided any details regarding a motive.
Mr Luna stated that the suspect was carrying a gun when he entered the Alhambra club. People took the weapon from him and he fled.
The shooting caused fear in Asian American communities around Los Angeles and cast a shadow on Lunar New Year celebrations across the country. Additional officers were sent by other cities to oversee the festivities.
This was the fifth mass murder in this country during this month.
Monterey Park, a city with approximately 60,000 inhabitants is located at the eastern edge Los Angeles. It is made up mainly of Asian immigrants from China and first-generation Asian Americans.
The shooting took place in the city’s heart, where red lanterns were placed on the streets to celebrate the Lunar New Year celebrations. An officer car was parked next to a large banner reading “Happy Year of the Rabbit!”
Monterey Park’s celebration is the largest in California and attracted thousands throughout the day.
There were two days of celebrations planned, which in previous years attracted as many as 100,000 people. Officials cancelled Sunday’s festivities after the shooting.
In a written statement, President Joe Biden condemned these killings and stated that he had instructed Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, his homeland security advisor, to mobilize federal support for local authorities.
“While we wait for more critical information from law enforcement,” Mr Biden stated.
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