Death toll in Monterey Park Lunar New Year shooting now 11; all victims identified

UPDATE Jan. 24, 2023:

The death toll in the Monterey Park Lunar New Year shooting is now 11 after a female victim in her 70s died from her injuries at the hospital, the Washington Post reports.

The victims were identified as Ming Wei Ma, 72, Xiujuan Yu, 57, Mymy Nhan, 65, Valentino Alvero, 68, Lilian Li, 63, Diana Tom, 70, Chia Yau, 77, Yu Kao, 72, Hong Jian, 62, Muoi Ung, 68, and Wen Yu, 64, KTLA-TV reports.

The suspect's motive remains unclear, but a former roommate told the Washington Post that he was a regular at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio and the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio, and dancing was one of his only hobbies.

MORE:

• 11th person dies after Monterey Park shooting as police identify more victims - the Washington Post
• Coroner releases names of all 11 victims who died in Monterey Park shooting - KTLA

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (TCD) -- Two victims have been identified in the deadly Lunar New Year shooting at a dance hall over the weekend.

On Saturday, Jan. 21, at approximately 10:22 pm, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Monterey Park Police officers responded to the 100 block of West Garvey Avenue to a report of shots fired. Ten victims were reportedly pronounced dead at the scene, and at least 10 others were left wounded.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office identified two of the deceased victims as My Nhan, 65, and Lilian Li, 64, KTLA-TV reports.

In a Twitter post and tribute, Nhan’s niece Tiffany Liou said, "She spent so many years going to the dance studio in Monterey Park on weekends. It’s what she loved to do. But unfairly, Saturday was her last dance."

Following the shooting, an hours-long manhunt ensued for the suspect, 72-year-old Hemet resident Huu Can Tran, the Los Angeles Times reports. Approximately 20 minutes after the initial shooting, Tran allegedly entered Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra. Sheriff Robert Luna said Tran entered "possibly with the intent to kill two more people," but he was successfully disarmed by two community members.

Tran reportedly fled the scene afterward.

On Sunday, Jan. 22, at around 10:20 a.m., officers located the suspect in a van at a strip mall parking lot in Torrance and heard a gunshot from inside, according to the Los Angeles Times. At approximately 1 p.m., a SWAT team reportedly determined that Tran died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and he was pronounced deceased.

Authorities reportedly found a handgun and evidence linking Tran to both shooting locations inside the van.

According to KTLA, a search warrant was also served at Tran’s mobile home in Hemet, which is about 85 miles away from Monterey Park.

Luna told the Los Angeles Times, "We still are not clear on the motive."

Before the shooting, Tran reportedly went into the Hemet police station and said that his family was trying to poison him.

Monterey Park is reportedly a predominantly Asian community outside of Los Angeles, and the Lunar New Year celebration there is one of the largest Lunar New Year events in Southern California. According to KTLA, following the shooting, officials canceled Sunday’s planned Lunar New Year events in the area.

MORE:

• *UPD* #LASD Homicide Detectives Continue Assisting Monterey Park PD w/ Shooting Death Invst. — Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
• Community grieves, searches for answers in wake of Lunar New Year shooting — KTLA
• Authorities identify 72-year-old man as suspected gunman in Lunar New Year mass shooting — Los Angeles Times
• Tiffany Liou — Twitter