Huu Can Tran: 2023 Monterey Park Mass Murder
Overview
On the night of January 21, 2023, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran opened fire inside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California, killing 11 people and injuring at least 9 others. Minutes later, he drove to a second location, the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in nearby Alhambra, where a staffer disarmed him, preventing further carnage. Tran fled and died by a self-inflicted gunshot the following day after police surrounded his van in Torrance. Authorities have not established a definitive motive.
Timeline & Locations
- ~10:22 p.m., Sat., Jan. 21, 2023 — Monterey Park: Shooting begins at Star Ballroom Dance Studio, 122 W Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91754. Eleven victims ultimately die from their injuries; nine more are wounded.
- Shortly afterward — Alhambra: Tran enters Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio, 121 S Garfield Ave, Alhambra, CA 91801, where 26-year-old employee Brandon Tsay wrests the firearm away, and the suspect flees.
- Morning–midday, Sun., Jan. 22, 2023 — Torrance: Police locate a white van near Sepulveda & Hawthorne boulevards; as officers approach, a gunshot is heard. Tran is found dead inside from a self-inflicted wound.
- Mon., Jan. 23, 2023: An additional hospitalized victim dies, bringing fatalities to 11.
Weapons Recovered
Investigators reported Tran used a 9mm semiautomatic MAC-10–style pistol (Cobray M-11/9) with an extended magazine; a second handgun (Norinco Type 54, 7.62×25mm) was later found. The MAC-10-style pistol was wrested from him in Alhambra.
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