(MONTEREY PARK, Calif.) — At least 10 people were killed and 10 others were injured on Saturday night when a gunman opened fire at a crowded dance studio in Monterey Park, California, authorities said.
The suspect — identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran — fled the scene and traveled to nearby Alhambra, where he allegedly entered a second dance hall before being disarmed that same night. Tran was found dead on Sunday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a van in Torrance, about 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park, according to police.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jan 23, 9:51 AM EST
Governor visits Monterey Park
California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted photos of his Sunday visit to Monterey Park.
He said he met with “leaders and those impacted by this terrible tragedy” and called their strength “incredible.”
“No other country in the world is terrorized by this constant stream of gun violence,” the Democratic governor tweeted. “We need real gun reform at a national level.”
Jan 23, 8:42 AM EST
Suspect had no documented criminal history
Authorities have found no criminal history for the suspect in the Monterey Park mass shooting, ABC News has learned.
Investigators are still looking into a possible motive, including domestic violence.
-ABC News’ Josh Margolin and Alex Stone
Jan 23, 7:36 AM EST
‘Something came over me,’ says man who disarmed shooter
The man who disarmed the Monterey Park mass shooter recalled how “something came over me” during an interview Monday on ABC News’ “Good Morning America.”
“I realized I needed to get the weapon away from him,” Brandon Tsay said. “I needed to take this weapon, disarm him or else everybody would have died.”
Jan 23, 7:01 AM EST
Dance studio releases statement
The dance studio in Monterey Park where Saturday’s mass shooting took place has released a statement.
“What should have been a festive night to welcome the first day of the Lunar New Year turned into a tragedy. Our heart goes out to all the victims, survivors, and their families,” Star Dance Studio said in a Facebook post late Sunday. “In this time of healing, we hope that all those who were affected have the space to grieve and process what transpired within the last 24 hours. In the meantime, all classes will be canceled and studio will be closed until further notice.”
Jan 23, 5:31 AM EST
Survivor says longtime dance partner was among those killed
Shally was dancing the jive with her longtime dance partner on Saturday night when a gunman entered the studio and opened fire.
“We go to hide under the table,” Shally, who only provided her first name, recalled during an interview with Los Angeles ABC station KABC. “I think [my partner] had got shot already but not realized yet.”
Shally said she saw the gunman leave to get more bullets. When he returned, he reloaded the gun and opened fire again, she said.
“I said, ‘Lie down.’ We all lied down,” Sally told KABC.
Shally said the shooter then fled the scene and she turned to her partner, who she realized was unconscious. She tried to wake him but then saw her hands were covered in blood, she said.
“I thought I got shot too,” she told KABC.
Shally said she then realized that her partner had been shot in the back and the blood on her hands was his, from when they were holding each other in fear while hiding under the table.
“‘Wake up, wake up,"” she recalled telling her partner. “He was dead.”
Shally, who did not want to share the name of her dance partner, said he was a good friend and that they had danced together every week for about 10 years. She described him as a 62-year-old Asian man who didn’t have any family and said he was also friends with her husband, whom she married a couple years ago.
“He’s a nice guy,” she told KABC of her dance partner. “We love to dance.”
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