Shock, fear and mourning in Monterey Park

Residents in the majority-Asian city are searching for answers after a gunman killed 10 people and wounded 10 more. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Los Angeles Times] [Essential California Newsletter] January 23, 2023 [View in browser]( [Click to view images]( are placed at Garvey Avenue and Garfield Avenue in Monterey Park near Star Ballroom Dance Studio, where 10 people were killed and 10 more were injured in a mass shooting Saturday night. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) By Ryan Fonseca Help us make Essential California serve you better. [Take this survey](. Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California [newsletter](. It’s Monday, Jan. 23. A weekend of celebration for many Asian Americans was fractured by gun violence in Monterey Park. Shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday, a man with a firearm entered a ballroom dance studio and started shooting. Ten people were killed and 10 others were wounded. Authorities have not publicly identified the victims, only describing the people killed as five men and five women. There are a lot of unknowns right now. That breeds confusion, speculation and inaccuracies. Here’s what The Times newsroom does know. The shooting occurred at Star Ballroom Dance Studio, close to where tens of thousands had been celebrating the Lunar New Year in the small San Gabriel Valley city, several miles east of downtown Los Angeles. It was the first day of a two-day festival, which ended about an hour before the deadly attack. Authorities believe the armed suspect [also targeted a second dance studio]( in the neighboring city of Alhambra about 20 minutes after the shooting. No one was shot in that second incident. “Some individuals wrestled the firearm from [the suspect], and that individual took off,” L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said. On Sunday afternoon, a SWAT team breached a van linked to the shooting in a Torrance strip mall parking lot. Authorities found a person dead in the driver’s seat from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The driver [was later identified]( as 72-year-old Hemet resident Huu Can Tran, and police said he was the shooter. Authorities have not yet offered a possible motive for the mass murder. [A person in a mask walks near a white van with its doors open and a window broken in a parking lot.] A coroner’s official investigates the Torrance scene where police say the Lunar New Year’s shooting suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The San Gabriel Valley is home to many residents of Asian heritage, and about 65% of Monterey Park residents identify as Asian, according to [U.S. census data](. As my colleagues Nathan Solis and Luke Money reported, the city has long been “[a gateway for Chinese immigration]( Many residents were in the midst of celebrations meant to spark joy and excitement for new beginnings. On Sunday, as families frantically sought answers and searched for loved ones, some residents said their sense of safety in the peaceful community has been “shattered.” “I’ve never seen a freaking gun in Monterey Park,” Eric Ching [told a Times reporter](. “But it was here and it took the lives of 10 people, and another 10 are in the hospital right now fighting for their lives.” In a [news release]( Sunday, U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) said she attended the opening of the festival earlier Saturday, just a block away from the dance studio. “But now, Asian Americans in the Monterey Park community and nationwide are in mourning and are terrified instead of celebrating,” said Chu, who previously served as mayor and as a council member for the city. “If there is one thing I know, it is that Monterey Park is resilient,” she added. “Our community is strong, and we will get through this terrible event together.” [A group of people stand near a crime scene, some holding phones up.] Community members watch as officials secure and investigate the scene Sunday, the morning after a gunman opened fire at a ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) The violence compounds fear and anxiety many in the community are experiencing as crimes targeting Asians grow in California. [Hate crimes against Asian Americans]( jumped 177.5% from 2020 to 2021, according to a state report. As I write this from my home about six miles north of Monterey Park, waiting to learn more tragic details about yet another U.S. mass shooting, my overriding thoughts are simply: It’s happened again, closer this time, and how long until the next community is shattered? And now, here’s what’s happening across California: Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing. ADVERTISEMENT L.A. STORIES Recent winter storms dumped a lot of water on L.A. streets — and they’ve got the potholes to prove it. As more reports of hazardous asphalt pour in, here’s a helpful guide on how you could get money if one damages your car. [LAist]( Check out "The Times" podcast for essential news and more These days, waking up to current events can be, well, daunting. If you’re seeking a more balanced news diet, “The Times” podcast is for you. Gustavo Arellano, along with a diverse set of reporters from the award-winning L.A. Times newsroom, delivers the most interesting stories from the Los Angeles Times every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. [Listen and subscribe]( wherever you get your podcasts. POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT A majority of L.A. City Councilmember Kevin de León’s constituents want him out of office. That’s according to a recent Times poll of voters in L.A.'s 14th Council District, which De León has represented since October 2020. [Los Angeles Times]( On Friday, the L.A. City Council voted to dramatically expand tenant protections —11 days before COVID-19 anti-eviction rules were due to expire. Renter advocates had voiced fears that Angelenos would see a wave of evictions had the rules ended. [Los Angeles Times]( Support our journalism [Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.]( ADVERTISEMENT HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT Fewer people on Medi-Cal got crucial treatment for hepatitis C during the pandemic. 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