Advertisement

GARDEN GROVE : Man Fatally Shot at Dance Studio

Share

For the past several months, Ha Dang would go to the weekly dances at Jimmy’s Ballroom Dance Studio and swing to the beat of Vietnamese and American music.

But Dang’s visits to the studio were cut short Sunday night when the 22-year-old was shot and killed in the studio restroom, police said.

The shooting occurred after an altercation between Dang and three suspected gang members, Garden Grove Police Lt. John Woods said. Investigators are searching for the trio as suspects in the slaying.

Advertisement

Although Dang was not enrolled in the classes, the owner of the studio at 10931 Westminster Ave. said Dang had attended dances frequently during the last several months.

“He was a very nice guy,” Jimmy Nguyen said. Nguyen, who puts on the dances for about 60 of his students and friends, said he did not know what happened or how the trouble started. “Somebody was shot, I heard some screams and saw people run out the door,” he recounted.

“Nothing like this has ever happened. This is a nice place. We’re very upset about this.”

Dang was taken to AMI Medical Center of Garden Grove, where he was pronounced dead.

After interviewing witnesses, investigators said they believe the suspects belong to a local gang and were at the dance with a group of 10 to 15 people.

Police said Dang was not a gang member. Police Lt. Chuck Gibbs said investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the shooting, adding, “Sometimes these kinds of cases take us a long time to solve.”

Advertisement