Torrance, California
CNN
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[Breaking news update, published at 8:30 p.m.]
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said investigators have confirmed that a man found dead in a white van after a standoff with police in Torrance, Calif., is a suspect in Saturday night’s mass shooting in Monterey Park. People are one and the same.
After the standoff, officers found the man dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, Luna said.
Luna identified the suspect as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran.
[Previous story, published at 7:35 p.m.]
A man believed to be involved in the Monterey Park dance studio shooting was found dead in a white van in Torrance, California, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff said investigators were trying to determine if the man was the same man who killed 10 people in Monterey Park. SWAT officers engaged in an hours-long standoff at the scene of the van.
Multiple law enforcement sources told The Times that the man died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds and that at least two bullet holes were visible in the driver’s side window moments before they approached the vehicle.
Police have not publicly confirmed whether the passenger has died.
Law enforcement sources told CNN that when authorities ordered passengers out of the van, they heard voices and believed the driver may have shot himself.
CNN crews at the scene in Torrance have not seen the driver removed from the van since the SWAT team entered.
A news conference to discuss the mass shooting will be held at Monterey Park City Hall on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET).
Authorities have been searching for hours for the gunman who opened fire at a dance studio in Monterey Park as the city’s large Asian-American community celebrated the Lunar New Year weekend.
Law enforcement seized a weapon in a nearby city shortly after the shooting and traced the identity of the suspect, who provided authorities with his name and description, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the case.
In addition to the 10 people killed, 10 people were injured and hospitalized, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna.
“Who walked into the ballroom and shot 20 people?” the sheriff said.
• Luna said it is uncertain whether one or more shooters opened fire in Monterey Park.
• Shortly after the mass shooting in Monterey Park, a group of people snatched a gun from what they described as an Asian male at a dance studio in nearby Alhambra, Luna said. Investigators are trying to determine if the two incidents are related, the sheriff said.
• The sheriff said early information suggested the shooter who killed 10 people in Monterey Park may have been an Asian male. While “our description now is of an Asian male,” some witnesses described the shooter differently, Luna said. He warned that an investigation was ongoing. “In fact, there’s a lot more we don’t know than we know now,” Luna said.
• The sheriff said Sunday it was too early to rule out a possible motive for the hate crime. “Everything is on the table.”
• Officers arrived at a dance studio around 10:22 p.m. Saturday and found people “flowing from the scene, screaming,” the officer said. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
• According to CNN’s analysis, the massacre took place at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio.
• Meyer said 10 victims of the massacre were pronounced dead at the scene. “At least 10 other victims were taken to various local hospitals in stable to critical condition,” Meyer said.
The gun seized from the man in the Alhambra was a Cobray M11 9mm semi-automatic weapon, according to law enforcement officials. The gun was designed to hold a 30-round magazine, allowing for rapid fire without frequent magazine changes.
The massacre happened near the Lunar New Year festival in Monterey Park, scheduled for 9 p.m. on Garvey Boulevard between Garfield Boulevard and the Alhambra.
About 65 percent of Monterey Park’s residents are Asian, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, said that while it was unclear whether the two incidents in Monterey Park and the Alhambra were linked and involved the same suspect, “it’s a matter of fact at this time.” working theory”.
First, police will test fire using guns recovered at the Alhambra that people have taken from suspects, Miller said.
“This will allow the ATF to immediately compare the casings to see if the weapon matches what was used in Monterey Park,” Miller said. “Certainly, a match more clearly links the two incidents. If there is no match, it could mean that the same suspect had multiple weapons and just entered the second location with a different weapon.”
The mayor of nearby Alhambra said that while it was too early to say whether the massacre was a hate crime, the impact was already being felt by one of the largest Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the United States.
“It’s especially painful to have this kind of tragedy happen over the Lunar New Year weekend,” said Alhambra Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez tweets.
“Monterey Park is home to one of the largest #AAPI communities in the country. This is a time residents should celebrate with family, friends and loved ones – without fear of gun violence.”
Monterey Park, about seven miles east of downtown Los Angeles, is known for hosting Lunar New Year events that draw more than 100,000 people from across Southern California, according to the city.
It was not immediately clear how many people were still gathered in the area when the shots rang out.
“There was supposed to be a night of Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park. Instead, they were the victims of a horrific and relentless act of gun violence.” Gavin Newsom tweets.
Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Weiss said Sunday that the local Lunar New Year festival, which was scheduled to start on Saturday and run through Sunday, has been cancelled.
“Out of an abundance of caution and respect for the victims, we are canceling our event later today,” Weiss said.
Authorities are asking the public for any leads that may help the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department of Homicide Investigations at 323-890-5500 or the Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
The Monterey Park massacre marks at least the 33rd mass shooting in the United States so far this month, according to the Archives of Gun Violence. Both the nonprofit and CNN define a mass shooting as four or more people shot dead, excluding the shooter.