A local sheriff said Sunday that the suspect in Saturday night’s massacre of ten people at a California dance hall died 12 hours later, killing himself in a white van, putting an end to a police manhunt.
Key points
“The suspect suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene,” explained Sheriff Robert Luna, describing the end of the chase with a gunshot fired from inside the alleged killer’s vehicle as he killed himself.
The man has been identified as Hu Ken Tran, 72, of Asian descent.
“I can confirm there are no other suspects” in the massacre, Mr. Luna said, adding that a motive for the Monterey Park attack is not known at this stage.
“The investigation is still ongoing.” “Homicide investigators are working around the clock to gather additional information and determine a motive for this extremely tragic event,” said Sheriff Luna.
The pursuit of the suspect, covered directly by some American media, ended 40 kilometres from the town where the tragedy occurred, with law enforcement forces surrounding his van.
The police approached cautiously, then rushed inside. In footage taken by AFP cameramen and photojournalists, a body can be seen in the driver’s seat.
US President Joe Biden last night ordered flags on all government buildings to be flown at half-staff until sundown Thursday in honour of those killed in the mass shooting, according to a White House press release.
Persecution
Responding to the first calls for immediate action at 22:20 on Saturday (local time; 08:20 on Sunday, Greek time), police officers found ten dead people, five men and five women, in the dance hall. Ten other injured people were taken to hospitals where they are being treated in “stable” or “critical” conditions.
CCTV footage showed the attacker to be of Asian origin, wearing a black jacket, a black and white woollen hat, and glasses.
Yesterday, Sunday, in front of police tape in Monterey Park, residents took videos with their cellphones while merchants began packing up the market set up for Chinese New Year after the celebrations were called off.
Shocked, they could not believe that such a massacre had taken place in this city known for its peacefulness, where the majority are of Asian descent.
Prayers
David Kwan found out what happened yesterday morning. “It’s sad,” the guard from Malaysia still marveled. “I often encounter violence, but in different parts of Los Angeles.” “This is the first time I’ve seen her in my own community.”
Police are still trying to confirm reports of a second attack the same night at a different dance hall in neighbouring Alhambra.
“The suspect, who is of Asian descent, entered the ballroom with a gun,” but it was pulled from him by two bystanders before he “fled,” Sheriff Luna initially said.
He clarified on Sunday that the weapon found was not a rifle but a “semi-automatic assault pistol with a magazine” fitted with a “large capacity magazine.”
The term “assault firearm” used by the sheriff is unusual, to say the least.
loaded with ammunition
On Saturday night, thousands of people gathered near the site of the Monterey Park massacre to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
A nearby restaurant owner who spoke to the Los Angeles Times said three men entered his shop while the carnage was taking place and asked him to lock the door.
According to the restaurateur, they saw a man with a semi-automatic weapon loaded with ammunition in the area.
The US is paying a heavy price for the proliferation of guns on its soil and the easy access that Americans have to them.
On Saturday night, 12 people were wounded by bullets at a nightclub in the Louisiana capital of Baton Rouge—mmore proof, if anything was needed, that no place in the country is safe.
In 2021, an estimated 49,000 people will die from bullets in the US, a sad record for the second year in a row; 45,000 deaths were reported in 2020. In other words, 130 deaths are reported per day, more than half of which are suicides.
