According to the Los Angeles County sheriff, the gunman, 72, who fired bullets into a Southern California ballroom dance hall and killed 11 people, had no connection to the victims, and police are trying to figure out what motivated the shooting.
California officials have identified two of the victims and their family members and friends.
The death toll from an attack on the ballroom dance studio in California has now reached 11, following the announcement by health officials that one of those who were wounded passed away. Prior to the shooting on Saturday night, Huu Can Tran parked his motorcycle just one block away from the dance studio at Monterey Park, which investigators believe he intended to utilise as a backup escape car, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a news conference on Wednesday after the police took possession of the vehicle.
“I can’t keep doing them,” said the journalist earlier on Monday morning at Monterey Park, where 11 victims were killed in the dance studio. “Saying the same thing over and over and over again, it’s insane.”
Tran fired at the mostly elderly group dancing at the Star Ballroom dance studio and killed 11 people and injured nine others, according to police. A farm worker, aged 66, was arrested for attempted murder and murder charges for shooting seven people and killing eight in what police claimed was a case of violence at work in the agricultural zone that lies in between the Pacific Ocean and coastal mountains.
The motive behind the incident, which one lawmaker described as “the worst mass shooting in Los Angeles County history,” remains a mystery. The shooter was 72 years old and committed suicide in the early morning following the attack, according to authorities, they were arrested by police officers in a nearby town. The police went to his home in Hemet and discovered an assault rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, as well as evidence of his making homemade silencers for guns.
The violence, which occurred during what was supposed to be joyful Lunar New Year celebrations, caused a ripple of terror through Asian American communities already dealing with the growing violence and hatred targeted at Asian Americans.
Wiese said that the police in the area were alerted, but it wasn’t logical to issue a notice at night to residents in the majority Asian American city, even after finding out that the suspect might have targeted a nearby dance venue after the murder.
“I’m not going to send my officers door to door in Monterey Park waking people up and telling them we’re looking for a male Asian,” Wiese told The Associated Press. “It’s not going to do us any good.”
The shooting occurred at 10:22 p.m. Saturday was just about an hour after hundreds of thousands of people were at Lunar New Year festivities in the city. The public wasn’t informed of the massacre for nearly five hours, which raised concerns about why the alert wasn’t given to the people who live in the vicinity.
Wiese, who was appointed chief just two days prior to the shooting, told reporters that police were gathering information from around 40 witnesses, including some who couldn’t speak English and weren’t willing to release false information. He added that notifying other state, local, and federal agencies helped them make sure the message was heard.
In less than 48 hours, a gunman from Northern California shot and killed seven fellow farmworkers at a mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay. The shooter was of Chinese descent , and most all of his victims are Asian.
Outside the gated entrances to Monterey Park’s Star Dance Studio, a memorial rose higher on Wednesday with a plethora of bouquets and balloons. A large number of people carrying candles, flowers, and incense were present for the ceremony.
Marlene Xu, a fellow dancer, stands in front of the rows of photos framed with flowers from the people who were killed. Xu stated that she danced on the stage four times during the week, and sat for an entire night and day crying over the incident.
“It’s hard for us because it’s a part of my life,” she added. “It’s like a part of your life is gone.”
Vice-President Kamala Harris visited the memorial on Wednesday and arranged her own bouquet prior to making her way to a senior centre to meet with family members of those who were victims. She stopped to look at each of the massive plaques with roses and frames that held photographs or the names of the victims of the memorial.
In a brief interview with the media, Harris relayed sentiments on behalf of Biden, the president. Joe Biden called for Congress to pass a more stringent law on gun control.
“Tragically, we keep saying the same things,” Harris declared. “Can they come up with a solution? Yes. Should they take action? Yes. Do they have the power to act? “We all need to speak out.”
Pope Francis is among those who offered condolences, writing in a letter addressed to Los Angeles archbishop that he “implores the divine gifts of healing and consolation upon the injured and bereaved.”
Wiese stated that he has seen many things in his 30 years of law enforcement, and many of the officers who arrived on the scene were rookies who had never witnessed such a tragedy, and the experience is difficult to forget.
When the police chief arrived, paramedics were loading injured people into ambulances and bringing others inside. There were bodies every 10 feet in the air, some on tables and others on the floor.
“It’s hard to put words to it,” the man declared. “It is awe-inspiring when you look at it. It kind of creates a memory in the brain.”
