 [LATIMES] Authorities have identified the man responsible for a deadly shooting inside a Monterey Park dance studio as 72-year-old Hemet resident Huu Can Tran.
Tran died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a strip mall parking lot near Sepulveda and Hawthorne boulevards in Torrance, law enforcement sources said.
"We still are not clear on the motive," Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. "The investigation continues ... we want to know how something this awful can happen."
The manhunt began after the shooter opened fire inside Star Ballroom Dance Studio on West Garvey Avenue around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, killing 10 people and injuring 10 others. It was Lunar New Year’s Eve.
About 20 minutes after the shooting in Monterey Park, Tran walked into Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in nearby Alhambra, officials said. "The suspect walked in there, probably with the intent to kill two more people," Luna said. "But two community members disarmed him, took possession of his weapon, and the suspect bravely ran away."
| A pack, not a herd. Well done, guys! |
At 10:20 a.m. Sunday, police located the white cargo van that was seen leaving the scene of the shooting, Luna said. When officers left their patrol vehicle to make contact with the occupant, they heard one gunshot come from the van.
At 1 p.m., a SWAT team determined that the suspect had a self-inflicted gunshot wound and he was pronounced dead.
He's dead, Jim!
at the scene. The man inside the van was Tran, the mass shooting suspect, authorities said.
During the search of the van, several pieces of evidence were found linking the suspect to both locations. A handgun inside the van, which had stolen license plates, authorities said.
"I can confirm that there are no outstanding suspects," Luna said.
The weapon taken by community members in Alhambra was a magazine-fed semiautomatic assault pistol, with an extended magazine attached, according to authorities. This particular firearm with an extended magazine is illegal to possess in Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,.
| Oh dear me. How absolutely dreadful. |
An advisory from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department identified the suspect as an adult Asian man, about 5 feet 10 inches and weighing 150 pounds. An image showed the man in a black leather jacket, beanie and glasses. Tran had been living at The Lakes at Hemet West, a trailer park whose sign billed it as "A 55+ Active Living Community," according to a public record and law enforcement sources. A security guard turned away a Times news hound at the front gate Sunday night.
| A bit long in the tooth to go suddenly amok... |
 "I still have questions in my mind, which is, what was the motive for this shooter? Did he have a mental illness? Was he a domestic violence abuser? How did he get these guns, and was it through legal means? Well, those questions will have to be answered in the future," said U.S. Rep. Judy Chu during a Sunday night news conference.
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