At approximately 10:22 p.m. PST, police were dispatched to a mass shooting that occurred outside of Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, CA, a city east of Los Angeles. The shooting took place as the city’s predominantly Asian American community was celebrating the Lunar New Year (CNN). Shortly after, a second incident involving an armed gunman took place at Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, just a few miles away from Monterey Park. No shots were fired as two people successfully disarmed the suspect before he fled (NPR).
The lone suspect in both incidents has been identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran. Following a standoff with police after being pulled over the next morning, Tran was found dead in his van from a self-inflicted gunshot wound (NPR). The police have not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime, though as of January 23, 2023, the motive behind the attack is not known (CNN).
Date of event: January 21, 2023
Impact:
- 11 people killed (ABC News)
- 9 injured (The Guardian)
Related Resources:
- Mass Attacks in Public Spaces: 2016-2020
- Mass Shootings in the United States Involving Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines
- Policy Brief: Hate Crime Victim Support
- Chain of Events: Mitigating Active Shooters and Hostile Events
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Photo credit: Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images