A 72-year-old gunman committed himself as police drew near him on Sunday, almost 12 hours after he had carried out a Lunar New Year massacre at a dance club that left 10 people dead and another 10 injured.
The shooter attempted a second shooting at a separate club minutes after the first one on Saturday night, but, according to investigators, two bystanders confiscated the man’s pistol before any rounds could be fired. Out of there, he fled.
Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County identified the suspect as the elderly man Huu Can Tran. He claimed that Tran used a high-capacity magazine weapon to shoot up a ballroom dancing club in Monterey Park, which is roughly 7 miles (11 km) east of downtown Los Angeles.
Despite the prevalence of gun violence in the US, experts are still uncertain of the cause. The names of the five men and five women, who according to Luna appeared to be in their 50s, 60s, and beyond, were withheld. Tran’s gun appeared to be in contravention of California state law, which prohibits the use of magazines that hold more than ten bullets, according to the sheriff.
“We want to know, we want to know how something this awful can happen,” Luna told the media.
According to authorities, Tran was confronted by bystanders at a second dance club in the neighbouring city of Alhambra about 20 minutes after the shooting at Monterey Park, around 10 p.m. PST on Saturday (0600 GMT on Sunday), according to Luna.
“I can tell you that the suspect entered there with the probably goal of killing more people,” said Luna. “Two brave neighbourhood residents decided they were going to take action and disarm him.”
The sheriff stated that Tran shot himself on Sunday as police moved close to a white van he was driving, which is where the incident at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park took place, which was about 20 miles (34 km) away in Torrance. Police heard one gunshot coming from the van as they came near. They then left and asked for a SWAT team.
As of Sunday night, seven of the ten injured people were still receiving medical care at hospitals, with at least one of them in a serious condition.
The event happened just before a two-day Chinese New Year holiday, when tens of thousands of people from all around Southern California congregate for celebrations on many downtown streets that are blocked to traffic.
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