Terror at Monterey Park dance studio: What we know about Lunar New Year mass shooting

Investigators searching for a motive in one of the worst mass shootings in modern Los Angeles County history say a search of the suspected gunman’s home discovered a rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and evidence he was manufacturing gun silencers.

By Rong-Gong Lin II

, Rebecca Ellis, Summer Lin, Brittny Mejia, Julia Wick and Hayley Smith

Published Jan. 22, 2023 Updated Jan. 25, 2023 8:05 AM PT

On Saturday afternoon, thousands were celebrating the Lunar New Year festival in Monterey Park, a city at the heart of Los Angeles County’s Chinese community.

The festival ended around 9 p.m. A little over an hour later, gunfire erupted inside Star Ballroom Dance Studio on West Garvey Avenue, which is near where the festival took place.

Here is what we know about the mass shooting that left 11 dead and nine wounded.

What happened inside the studio?

Few details have emerged from inside the studio. But one Monterey Park resident, Wong Wei, said a friend was in the bathroom when the shooting started. When she came out, she saw a gunman and three bodies.
Seung Won Choi, who owns a seafood barbecue restaurant on Garvey Avenue, said three people rushed into his restaurant and told him to lock the door. The shooter, they said, had multiple rounds of ammunition and reloaded when it ran out, Choi said.
When police arrived, officers found people “pouring out of the location, screaming,” L.A. County sheriff’s Capt. Andrew Meyer said. The officers entered the studio and located additional victims.
After opening fire at the Monterey Park dance studio Saturday night, the gunman went to a second dance facility in nearby Alhambra, where he was disarmed by Brandon Tsay, whose family owns the studio.
The gunman was later identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran.

What to know about mass shootings

FAQ

UPDATED Jan. 22, 2023 | 12:44 AM

How do we define a mass shooting?

Mass shootings are defined as a shooting with four or more people killed — not including the shooter — in a public location with firearms, as defined by the Congressional Research Service.

Are mass shootings related to mental illness?

Most people who have and live with a mental illness are nonviolent. Most shooters experienced early childhood trauma and exposure to violence at a young age, and most shooters have studied the actions of other shooters and sought validation for their motives. According to the Violence Project — a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center dedicated to reducing violence in society — the role of serious mental illness in mass shootings is complex. The project reports that more than 80% of mass shooters were in a notable crisis prior to the shooting. Psychosis played no role for nearly 70% of mass shooters, according to the report.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional and call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-TALK (8255). Text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.

Are mass shootings becoming more deadly and more common?

Yes, mass shootings have been getting more deadly over the decades. James Densley and Jillian Peterson, who run the Violence Project and have studied every public mass shooting since 1966, write that more than half of the shootings have occurred since 2000 and 33% since 2010. They write that for decades, the toll of mass shootings has risen steadily. During the 1970s, mass shootings claimed an average of 5.7 lives per year. In 2019, the average figure was 51 deaths per year . In 2020, mass shootings were far less frequent during the COVID-19 pandemic, as schools, offices and churches shut down. Now they’re ticking back up.

What is the contagion effect?

Most shooters have studied the actions of other shooters and want validation for their motives, according to James Densley and Jillian Peterson of the Violence Project. That’s why mass shootings can come in clusters and can be socially contagious, a phenomenon called the contagion effect. Research also shows how media reports on mass shootings can play a role in the contagion effect or copycat incidents, according to Dr. Dan Reidenberg from Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) at a Poynter seminar on mass shootings. Responsible and helpful reporting can inform and educate the public and possibly reduce the risk of violence, according to the seminar.

How can you talk to your child about mass shootings?

Check in with your child and talk to them about their concerns. Reassure them that they are safe (which is good advice for all trauma survivors). Tailor conversations and topics to what’s appropriate for your child’s age. Limit their exposure to media coverage of shootings. Maintain routines and model healthy behavior as parents. Have a plan with your children in case of an emergency. Also, watch for changes in their behavior, sleep, mood and appetite. Every child responds to trauma differently and can show signs of stress at different times, according to the American Psychological Assn.

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What do we know about the victims?

Ten victims were killed the night of the shooting, and an 11th victim died Monday at L.A. County-USC Medical Center.
The deceased were identified by the L.A. County Coroner as:
- Mymy Nhan, 65
- Lilan Li, 63
- Xiujuan Yu, 57
- Muoi Dai Ung, 67
- Hongying Jian, 62
- Yu-Lun Kao, 72
- Chia Ling Yau, 76
- Valentino Marcus Alvero, 68
- Wen-Tau Yu, 64
- Ming Wei Ma, 72
- Diana Man Ling Tom, 70
Injured victims were taken to L.A. County-USC Medical Center and other area hospitals. Jorge Orozco, chief executive of LAC-USC, said Tuesday that two victims had been discharged, a 73-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man. The remaining victim at LAC-USC was in critical care.
The conditions of the six other injured victims were not immediately known Tuesday.

What do we know about a motive?

Authorities have yet to confirm a motive for the shooting. On Monday, however, the investigation focused on the gunman’s prior interactions at the dance studios, and whether jealousy over a relationship was the motive. The shootings may have been sparked by a personal dispute, they said.
Inside the gunman’s home in Hemet, investigators found a .308-caliber rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, electronic devices and items that led officials to suspect he was manufacturing firearm suppressors, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
At 72, Tran was the oldest mass shooter in recent history, according to research groups that track such incidents.

On Saturday January 21, 2023 at 10:22 PM the suspect male/adult/Asian pictured above was involved in a shooting. Investigators have identified him as a Homicide suspect and he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Contact LASD Homicide with any information at 323-890-5000. pic.twitter.com/2gPUBBybvv
— Robert Luna (@LACoSheriff) January 22, 2023

Is there a connection to the Lunar New Year?

People came from around the region for the festival, which is considered one of the biggest in L.A. County, but the day’s events had ended before the shooting started. Authorities have not ruled out any motives and stressed that the investigation is still in its early stages.

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Rong-Gong Lin II

Rong-Gong Lin II is a Metro reporter based in San Francisco who specializes in covering statewide earthquake safety issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bay Area native is a graduate of UC Berkeley and started at the Los Angeles Times in 2004.

Rebecca Ellis

Rebecca Ellis covers Los Angeles County government for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she covered Portland city government for Oregon Public Broadcasting. Before OPB, Ellis wrote for the Miami Herald, freelanced for the Providence Journal and reported as a Kroc fellow at NPR in Washington, D.C. She graduated from Brown University in 2018. She was named a finalist for the 2022 Livingston Awards for her investigation into abuses within Portland’s private security industry.

Summer Lin

Summer Lin is a reporter on the Fast Break Desk, the Los Angeles Times’ breaking news team. Before coming to The Times, she covered breaking news for the Mercury News and national politics and California courts for McClatchy’s publications, including the Sacramento Bee. An East Coast native, Lin moved to California after graduating from Boston College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. In her free time, she enjoys hikes, skiing and a good Brooklyn bagel.

Brittny Mejia

Brittny Mejia is a Metro reporter covering federal courts for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote narrative pieces with a strong emphasis on the Latino community and others that make up the diversity of L.A. and California. Mejia was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2021 in local reporting for her investigation with colleague Jack Dolan that exposed failures in Los Angeles County’s safety-net healthcare system that resulted in months-long wait times for patients, including some who died before getting appointments with specialists. She joined The Times in 2014.

Julia Wick

Julia Wick is a political reporter at the Los Angeles Times. She and her colleagues won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in breaking news for reporting on a leaked audio recording that upended Los Angeles politics. She was also part of the team that was a 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist for work covering a fatal shooting on the set of the film “Rust.” Before joining the Times, Wick was the editor in chief of LAist.

Hayley Smith

Hayley Smith is an environment reporter for the Los Angeles Times, where she covers the many ways climate change is reshaping life in California, including drought, floods, wildfires and deadly heat.