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Luna identified the suspect as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna confirms that the suspected gunman, Huu Can Tran, was pronounced dead hours after the mass shooting in Monterey…

Suspect Huu Can Tran

Luna identified the suspect as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran.

Law enforcement officials surrounded and entered a white van Sunday afternoon that officials suspect was driven by a gunman who opened fire at a Southern California ballroom dance studio, killing 10 people. and injuring 10 more.

Police surrounded the van with tactical vehicles and bomb squad trucks for hours before moving inside. The body of a person appeared to be slumped over the steering wheel and was later removed from the vehicle, but authorities did not immediately identify the person.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna previously released photos of an Asian man believed to be the suspect, but did not release the man’s name.

The manhunt came after a gunman killed 10 people at a ballroom dance studio Saturday night amid Lunar New Year celebrations in the predominantly Asian-American community of Monterey Park. He likely unsuccessfully tried to target a second ballroom, authorities said.

The van was found in Torrance, another community that is home to many Asian Americans, about 22 miles (34.5 kilometers) from that second location.

Shooting

The shooting sent a wave of fear through Asian-American communities in the Los Angeles area and cast a shadow over Lunar New Year festivities across the country. Other cities sent additional officers to monitor the celebrations.

Luna said the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park left five women and five men dead and injured 10 other people. Then, 20 to 30 minutes later, a gunman entered the Lai Lai dance hall in the nearby Alhambra.

Authorities believe the two events are connected. They offered no details on a possible motive.

The shooting occurred at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, a few blocks from City Hall on Monterey Park’s main drag, Garvey Avenue, which is dotted with small-business shopping malls whose signs are in English and Chinese. Cantonese and Mandarin are widely spoken, Chinese holidays are celebrated, and Chinese movies are shown regularly in the city.

The business offered dance classes from tango to rumba to fox trot, and rented out its space for events. On Saturday, his website said, he was hosting an event called “Star Night” starting at 8 p.m. at 11:30 p.m.

The suspect entered the Alhambra club with a gun and people took the gun from him before he fled, Luna said.

Hours earlier, Luna said authorities were looking for a white van after witnesses reported seeing the suspect fleeing the Alhambra in the vehicle.

“We believe there is a person inside that vehicle. We don’t know his condition, but we’re going to handle that as safely as possible and try to identify that person. Could you be our suspect? Possibly,” Luna said.

In response to a question, Luna said it was possible that the person holed up in the van was dead.

Members of a SWAT team entered the van a short time later and checked its contents before driving away. It was not clear what they found.

Investigation

An investigator carries markers outside Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023. A mass shooting took place at the dance club following a Lunar New Year celebration, setting off a manhunt for the suspect in the fifth mass killing in the U.S. this month.

Authorities said Sunday they know the suspect’s name but declined to release it because it could complicate their ability to apprehend him. But they posted a photo showing an Asian man wearing glasses and a winter hat.

The sheriff declined to say what type of weapon was recovered at Alhambra. He said investigators believe the weapon used at Monterey Park was not an assault rifle.

The massacre was the fifth mass murder in the nation this month. It was also the deadliest attack since May 24, when 21 people were killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

Monterey Park is a city of approximately 60,000 in far east Los Angeles and is comprised primarily of first-generation Asian immigrants from China or Asian-Americans. The shooting occurred in the heart of its downtown area, where red lanterns decorated the streets for Lunar New Year festivities. A police car was parked near a large banner proclaiming “Happy Year of the Rabbit!”

The celebration at Monterey Park is one of the largest in California. Two days of festivities were planned, which have been attended by up to 100,000 people in recent years. But officials canceled Sunday’s events after the shooting.

Tony Lai, 35, of Monterey Park was stunned when he went for a walk early in the morning and learned that the noises he heard at night were gunshots.