US police confirmed this Sunday that the lifeless body found inside a parked van by law enforcement is that of the alleged perpetrator of the shooting that killed ten people and injured ten others in Monterey Park near Los Angeles this Saturday.
The vehicle was consistent with some eyewitness accounts and when agents approached to contact the rider, they heard gunshots from inside. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told a news conference that the driver had shot himself.
The shooting happened at 10:22 pm local time on Saturday (06:22 GMT today) at a dance hall in Monterey Park, about 13 kilometers east of Los Angeles, following Chinese New Year celebrations.
In Monterey Park, where 65.5% of residents are of Asian descent according to official figures, thousands gathered hours earlier to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The festival was scheduled to continue today, but has been cancelled.
The authorities are still unclear on the motive of the attack and the investigation is ongoing. The alleged perpetrator has been identified as 72-year-old Huệ Canh Tran, and law enforcement has called off the search for suspects.
In a photo distributed on the network during his search, he appeared in a leather jacket, glasses and a hat and warned that he should be considered “armed and dangerous”.
The man was located in Torrance, in southwestern Los Angeles County and approximately 46 kilometers from the site of the massacre. In searching his van, law enforcement confirmed that it was a man of Asian descent who was being tracked.
Various elements were also found inside the vehicle that made it possible to determine that it was the same person who, approximately 20 minutes after the Monterey Park shooting, entered another dance hall in the neighboring suburb of Alhambra with the intention of attacking attendees. but was disarmed and fled before the shot could be fired.
This story was originally published on January 22, 2023 at 8:50 pm
