export_ofoct.com

[00:00.43] Police in California are investigating the deadly mass shooting Saturday night in the city of Monterey Park, near Los Angeles.

[00:12.12] The gunman killed 10 people -- five women and five men -- in an attack at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, a dance school.

[00:23.53] The city has a majority Asian-American population and is known for its Lunar New Year’s celebration.

[00:32.57] Traditional dances and a parade had been planned for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020.

[00:45.32] But officials cancelled Sunday’s events because of the shooting.

[00:50.90] Other nearby cities increased security.

[00:55.42] The police said they found the body of the gunman, whom they identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, on Sunday.

[01:06.57] They said he had shot himself.

[01:10.02] Police say the gunman went to another dance school in a nearby city after the attack in Monterey Park.

[01:19.85] However, people disarmed the gunman and he fled.

[01:25.69] Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said a white vehicle, a van, had been seen near one of the attacks and police launched a search.

[01:38.97] On Sunday, police found the van with the suspect’s body inside.

[01:47.21] Luna said no other suspects were involved.

[01:52.25] The gunman’s motive, or reason, for the attack remains unclear, Luna said.

[02:00.49] Ten people were also wounded in the attack.

[02:04.74] Seven were under hospital care as of Monday.

[02:08.99] Luna did not release the ages of the victims but said they all appeared to be over the age of 50.

[02:18.82] Congressional representative Judy Chu spoke at a news conference after the attack.

[02:26.52] She said she still had questions but said people in the city should feel safe.

[02:34.49] “The community was in fear thinking that they should not go to any events because there was an active shooter,” Chu said, adding, “You are no longer in danger.”

[02:49.90] The area has a big Chinese population.

[02:54.68] The Lunar New Year celebration was expected to bring 100,000 people to the area.

[03:02.91] The Associated Press (AP) reports that the mass shooting was the fifth in January.

[03:12.48] The AP defines a mass shooting as one in which four people or more are killed, not including the shooter.

[03:24.16] The Star Ballroom Dance Studio was holding a Lunar New Year event called “Star Night” on Saturday.

[03:34.26] It had advertised the event on its website the day before the shooting.

[03:40.90] Tony Lai of Monterey Park said he heard sounds the night of the attack but thought they were fireworks. He said he thought the city was very safe.

[03:56.04] Fifty-seven-year-old Wynn Liaw said she was shocked that such a crime could happen during the Lunar New Year’s celebration.

[04:07.73] She took a picture of the activity outside the Star Ballroom to send to relatives and friends in China.

[04:18.35] She said she wanted “to let them know how crazy the U.S. is becoming with all these mass shootings, even in the New Year.”