Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and other Los Angeles area officials held a joint press conference Monday afternoon to discuss Saturday night’s mass shooting in Monterey Park.
Luna was joined by Monterey Police Department Chief Scott Wiese from the front steps of the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles.
This latest news conference came just hours after officials toured the resource center where 11 people were shot and killed during a Lunar New Year celebration Saturday night.
Rep. Judy Chu and Sen. Alex Padilla were among those who toured the facility, located at 400 W. Emerson Ave.
Monterey Park Fire Chief Matt Hallock said Langley Senior Center is being used for victim identification and notification of next of kin and mental health suppo8327446rt.
Hallock added that six families so far have sought assistance at the center so far.
The center will be open for such use as long as needed from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.
“It’s going to take a lot and it’s going to take some time but we know that the community is resilient and the community will rebound,” Padilla said after touring the facility.
He stressed that the mass shooting should be a reminder of the importance of combating the gun violence “epidemic” in the U.S.
“We cannot let mass shootings be the norm. Not here in Monterey Park, not in California not anywhere in the United States of America,” the senator said.
The deadly shooting unfolded around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, when Huu Can Tran, 72, of Hemet, opened fire at Star Ballroom Dance Studio at 122 W. Garvey Ave. in Monterey Park.
Five men and five women died at the scene. Only two of the 11 victims have been identified so far: My Nhan, 66, and Lilian Li, 64.
About 20 minutes later, Tran made his way to Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio just over 2 miles away in Alhambra, where a second attack was thwarted thanks to two men being hailed as heroes.
Tran was disarmed and he ran away. A “magazine-fed semi-automatic assault pistol,” which Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said is illegal in California, was found at the scene.
A manhunt led authorities to a parking lot in Torrance where police in tactical vehicles and bomb squad trucks surrounded a white van matching the description of one the suspect was seen driving.
Tran was eventually found dead inside from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities said another weapon and other evidence was found in the vehicle.
As the community grieves, a motive behind the mass shooting remains unknown. Sources told the Los Angeles Times, however, that investigators are focusing on jealousy over a relationship as a possible motive.
Detectives believe Tran frequented both dance halls, and that the mass shooting may have been sparked by a personal dispute, the sources told the newspaper.
Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said that the motive may never be known in this case.
“We’ll probably have a fragmented why, but I don’t know if we’ll ever have the full story,” Wiese said.
