Sheriff: Gunman Didn’t Know Monterey Park Dance Hall Victims

Sheriff: Gunman Didn’t Know Monterey Park Dance Hall Victims
Eric Sham visits a makeshift memorial for those killed in a mass shooting at The Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 24, 2023. Sarah Reingewirtz/The Orange County Register via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:
0:00

MONTEREY PARK, Calif.—The 72-year-old gunman who sprayed bullets into a Southern California ballroom dance hall, killing 11 people, had no known connection with the victims and investigators were still trying to determine a motive for the massacre, the Los Angeles County sheriff said.

Before the shooting Saturday night, Huu Can Tran parked a motorcycle just a block away from the ballroom in Monterey Park, which investigators believe he had planned to use as a backup getaway vehicle, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a news conference Wednesday hours after police seized the motorcycle.

Tran opened fire on a mostly elderly crowd of dancers at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, killing 11 people and wounding nine, police said.

This combination image created using photos provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows a male suspect allegedly involved in a shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 21, 2023. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department via AP)
This combination image created using photos provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows a male suspect allegedly involved in a shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 21, 2023. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department via AP

Some reports had said Tran frequented the dance hall and fancied himself as an instructor, but Luna said he hadn’t been there in at least five years and did not appear to target the victims specifically.

“We have not been able to establish a connection between the suspect and any of the victims thus far,” Luna said.

Luna said it wasn’t clear how long Tran had been planning the attack in the city about 8 miles (12.8 kilometers) from downtown Los Angeles or what prompted him to spray at least 42 bullets, taking time to reload his weapon, a variant of the MAC-10 semiautomatic machine pistol with a 30-round magazine.

Tran’s motive continued to elude detectives days after the tragedy as they searched piles of items and paperwork seized from Tran’s home and a van he used to flee, the sheriff said.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Luna said. “It really doesn’t.”

About 20 minutes after the carnage in Monterey Park, Tran entered another dance hall about 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) away in Alhambra, where an employee confronted and disarmed him during a brief struggle. Tran later shot himself in the van where his body was found Sunday morning.