Lunar New Year massacre

Gunman kills 10

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. - A 72-year-old gunman killed himself when approached by police on Sunday, about 12 hours after he had carried out a Lunar New Year massacre at a dance club that left 10 people dead and another 10 wounded.

The gunman tried to carry out another shooting at a separate club just minutes after the first one on Saturday night, but authorities said two bystanders wrestled the man’s weapon away from him before any shots could be fired. He fled that scene.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna identified the suspect as Huu Can Tran, a septuagenarian he said used a high-capacity magazine pistol to shoot up a ballroom dance venue popular with older patrons in Monterey Park, about 7 miles (11 km) east of downtown Los Angeles.

Investigators did not yet know a motive, although gun violence is frequent in the United States. Mr Luna did not identify any of the victims but said the five men and five women appeared to be in their 50s,

60s and beyond. The sheriff said the pistol Mr Tran used appeared to be illegal in California, where state laws ban any magazine holding more than 10 rounds.

“We want to know, we want to know how something this awful can happen,” Mr Luna told reporters.

After police say Mr Tran carried out the shooting in Monterey Park at about 10pm PST Saturday (0600 GMT on Sunday), he was confronted by bystanders at a second dance club in the neighbouring city of Alhambra about 20 minutes later, Mr Luna said.

“I can tell you that the suspect walked in there, probably with the intent to kill more people, and two brave community members decided they were going to jump into action and disarm him,” Mr Luna said.

The sheriff said that Mr Tran turned a handgun on himself on Sunday as police approached a white van he was driving in Torrance, about 20 miles (34 km) from the site of the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park. Officers heard a single gunshot from the van as they approached, then fell back and called for a SWAT team.

Of the 10 people injured, seven remained hospitalised Sunday night, with at least one person in critical condition.

The shooting took place around the location of a two-day Chinese Lunar New Year celebration where many downtown streets are closed for festivities that draw thousands of people from across Southern California.

Picture: REUTERS A man signals as a police officer directs him to walk away from the location of a shooting that took place during a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration, in Monterey Park, California, US January 22, 2023.

Picture: REUTERS FBI agents gather in front of the location of a shooting during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California, US January 22, 2023.

Picture: AP/DAMIAN DOVARGANES Members of a SWAT team enter a van and look through its contents in Torrance California, Sunday, January 22, 2023. An hours-long manhunt led police to surround and enter the van. Authorities say the suspect in a California dance club shooting that left multiple people dead, shot and killed himself.

Picture: LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT VIA AP Left: This combination image created using photos provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows a male suspect allegedly involved in a shooting on Saturday, January 21, 2023, in Monterey Park, California.

Picture: AP A forensic photographer takes pictures of a van’s window and its contents in Torrance, California, Sunday, January 22, 2023.