California police have identified the suspected gunman who killed 10 people at a ballroom dance studio near Los Angeles as 72-year-old Huo Cain Tran, who was later found dead in a white van.
She suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Lunar New Year celebrations were underway in Monterey Park, known for its large Asian population.
Police do not yet know the motive.
Another 10 people were injured in the shooting, and seven are still in the hospital — some in critical condition — the sheriff said at a news conference Sunday afternoon in Monterey Park.
He added that the 10 dead were still being identified but “appeared to be in their 50s, 60s and some may be older”.
Earlier, authorities said five women and five men had died, all “possibly” of Asian origin.
The mass shooting, the deadliest in California history, began around 22:22 local time (06:22 GMT Sunday) on Saturday at the famous Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, about Located seven miles (11 km) east. Los Angeles.
Police Chief Scott Weiss said what his officers found was a “scene of carnage” and that the first officers to arrive were the youngest on his squad who had only completed their training a few months earlier. .
“They saw a scene that none of them had prepared for.” “There were wounded men inside and dead men inside. My young officers did their job.”
About 30 minutes later, the gunman arrived at another dance studio in the nearby town of Alhambra.
He entered the studio, but two men managed to wrest the weapon from him – a semi-automatic assault pistol with an extended magazine – and he fled.
Sheriff Luna said he believed the weapon was illegal in California, although he added that further investigation was needed.
He praised “two people in the community, who I consider to be heroes. They saved lives, it could have been worse,” the sheriff said, adding that he believed Tran would have killed more people. intends to
Authorities searched the Los Angeles area for hours Sunday in search of the gunman.
At 13:00 local time (21:00 GMT) – about 12 hours after the shooting – a SWAT team found a white van in a car park in Torrance, about 30 miles (48 km) from the scene of the Monterey Park shooting. surrounded by
Sheriff Luna said he heard a single gunshot from inside the van as he approached, and then saw the suspect slumped over the steering wheel. Evidence was recovered, including a handgun, and the man was identified as the gunman.
The sheriff said the gunman is believed to have acted alone, and there were no other suspects.
Police are “assuming” the number plates on the van were stolen, he said.
Monterey Park’s population is approximately 65% Asian American – it has been called America’s first “Chinese suburb.” It became the first mainland US city to have a majority of residents with Asian ancestry.
With a community in mourning, Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park were cancelled. Businesses began removing red lanterns and festive banners that decorated the streets.
