The gunman in the deadly shooting at a Monterey Park ballroom that left 10 people dead and at least 10 others injured as they celebrated Lunar New Year may have been targeting his ex-wife and may have had a “history of domestic violence.” ,” the city’s mayor said on Monday.
Speaking with NBC News’ Kate Snow, Monterey Park Mayor Henry Lo said he believed the ex-wife had been at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio when the shooter, identified by authorities as Huu Can Tran, opened fire in the ballroom. of dance.
He said there appeared to be a “history of domestic violence” and that the suspect may have been targeting his ex-wife, but he did not elaborate.
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Investigators were looking into the suspect’s background after the mass shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio rocked the largely Asian community as it gathered to celebrate the Lunar New Year on Saturday.
Tran, 72, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after authorities took him into custody following a chase, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Sunday.
“The unimaginable happened in our community last night,” Monterey Park Mayor Henry Lo said in a statement Sunday, calling the deadly shooting a “horrific tragedy.”
“We understand that our community is looking for answers,” he said, promising to update residents as the investigation continues.
Sources familiar with the investigation said a person in a white van strapped to a traffic stop in the coastal city of Torrance, about 30 miles from the crime scene, fit the description of a person seen at crime scenes. both in Monterey Park and in the adjacent Alhambra. , where a gunman had entered another ballroom with a firearm shortly after the Monterey Park shooting.
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The gunman was quickly disarmed by community members in the second incident and managed to flee the scene.
When authorities, including SWAT officers, approached the van, they discovered that the suspect was dead. Various pieces of evidence in the van linked him to both crime scenes, Luna said. A gun was also found in the van, she added.
The motive for the deadly incident is still unclear, Luna said.
The possibility of a hate crime was part of the investigation, but authorities were also working to determine if the suspect knew any of the victims, Luna said. Ultimately, she said, getting answers will take time.
“We don’t know if this is specifically a hate crime defined by law, but who walks into a dance hall and shoots 20 people?” Luna said the previous Sunday: “The description we have now is of an Asian male. That matters? I dont know. I can tell you that everything is on the table.”
Residents of Monterey Park appeared to be on alert Sunday, with Lo saying the city’s emergency dispatch centers were “inundated with calls.”
“The Monterey Park Police Department is asking for the public’s help in only using 911 for calls related to emergencies,” he said.
A resource center for survivors has been set up at the Monterey Park Langley Center for Seniors, he said, adding that mental health resources were available to “anyone who needs support.”
Families and friends gathered in the center for much of Sunday, waiting to hear news of loved ones they feared may have been among the 10 people killed or injured.
“I tried to contact her, but I didn’t get any response,” Vivian King, a Monterey Park resident, said of a friend she last heard from earlier this weekend.
“It’s hard not to know what’s going on,” said Juan Pablo Pinzón, a tourist from Colombia who said his cousin was out with friends in the area on Saturday night and had not responded to text messages or calls. . “Hopefully, we’ll hear something soon.”
