Why did an old Asian man kill 11 people in Monterey Park, California, last weekend? The city, which is situated in Los Angeles County, has been rocked by this event, where Huu Can Tran, 72, committed a senseless act of violence as community members gathered at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Tran was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a citywide manhunt. As police investigate a motive, they may have found a lead based on evidence gathered at his home in Hemet, which is almost 90 miles away. Tran might have been trying to kill his ex-wife (via NBC News):
The gunman behind the deadly dance hall shooting in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park may have been targeting his ex-wife on the Lunar New Year, the city's mayor said Monday.
That revelation came as investigators are focused on a personal motive and have discounted hate crime or terrorism as a possible inspiration for the attack, multiple law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation said.
The officials emphasized that it's early in the investigation but said evidence gathered at the suspect's home and in the van where he was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Sunday afternoon so far suggests the bloodshed was somehow personal.
The death toll from Saturday's shooting climbed to 11 Monday, with at least nine other people being treated for their wounds, officials said. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday afternoon the suspect fired 42 rounds at the Monterey Park venue.
The sheriff said the gunman used a MAC-10, a compact semiautomatic and sometimes automatic firearm. The weapon was wrested at a second dance hall by a man being hailed as a hero.
After his rampage, Tran proceeded to another location to kill more people.
He reportedly had a “cold gaze,” which is how witness Brandon Tsay, 26, described him as he prepared to open fire at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio, two miles from Star. Tsay saw an opportunity to disarm Tran, which he did, preventing further mayhem.
Again, I know the liberal media will flee from this story since the shooter wasn’t white, there was no AR-15, and no MAGA or NRA gear was found on Tran’s person. It should be reported but tempered with key facts, like how more gun control laws don’t prevent mass shootings; California is one of the most anti-gun states in the country. Were there any red flags that authorities or family members missed? Was Tran active on social media? Were there any other clues that could have set off warning flares about this man’s apparent homicidal tendencies? As we’ve seen in the past, mass shooters are often already known to law enforcement, and their acts of carnage could have been prevented if law enforcement had enforced the current statutes on the books.