A mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, a majority Asian American city east of Los Angeles, left 11 people dead and nine others injured on the eve of Lunar New Year Saturday night, local authorities said.
The latest: Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to visit Monterey Park on Wednesday to mourn the victims of the shooting, her office said Tuesday.
- The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office on Monday began releasing the shooting victims' names. One victim, a 68-year-old man who later died from extensive injuries, was among those identified Monday afternoon as authorities worked to notify next of kin.
- A coalition of local Asian American and Pacific Islander-serving community groups has launched a GoFundMe page "to provide financial support to families who have experienced loss and those who have been physically harmed" by the shooting, per a statement from organizers.
- The Monterey Park Lunar New Year Victims Fund had raised over $298,500 as of 2:30am Tuesday ET.
- Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a press conference Monday the search warrant at the Hemet home of suspected shooter Huu Can Tran led investigators to recover a rifle, cell phones and computers.
- The 72-year-old suspect was also "manufacturing homemade firearm suppressors" and had "hundreds of rounds of ammunition" inside containers, Luna said.
Of note: The Hemet Police Department said in a statement Monday that Tran visited the station twice earlier this month, "alleging past fraud, theft, and poisoning allegations involving his family in the Los Angeles area 10 to 20 years ago."
- Tran said he'd return to the station with documentation regarding his allegations but never did so, the statement added.
- His body was found inside a cargo van with self-inflicted gunshot wounds following a standoff with police in Torrance, California, Luna said.
- It wasn't immediately clear how many guns were used in the shooting, but law enforcement had seized a semi-automatic pistol and found a handgun in the van where Tran's body was found.
What we're watching: It's too early to say whether the suspected shooter knew any of the victims or if the attack was targeted, L.A. County Sheriff's Department Capt. Andrew Meyer said Sunday.
State of play: President Biden said in a statement Sunday evening that he had directed his homeland security adviser to "mobilize full federal support to local and state authorities as they continue to respond and investigate this shooting."
- Biden on Monday reintroduced key gun safety measures in the Senate that seek to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines as well as raise the purchasing age to 21.
- The president was also aware of another mass shooting Monday in Half Moon Bay, California, which left at least seven people dead, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted. He asked federal law enforcement to provide assistance to the local authorities.
The big picture: Saturday night's shooting occurred at Star Ballroom Dance Studio on the eve of Lunar New Year.
- "What should have been a festive night to welcome the first day of the Lunar New Year turned into a tragedy," the studio said in a statement.
- Monterey Park was hosting a two-day Lunar New Year celebration this weekend that's one of the largest in Southern California, AP notes.
- Sunday's planned festivities were canceled "out of an abundance of caution and in reverence for the victims," Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese told reporters.
What they're saying: Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said at a Sunday evening news conference that the local community "was in fear thinking that they should not go to any events because there was an active shooter," but they could now feel safe.
- "It is horrible that such a thing could occur at a time of celebration for so many in the AAPI community and in the Asian community worldwide," she said.
By the numbers: The Monterey Park tragedy was the 23rd mass shooting in the U.S. this year as of Sunday, per the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as when four or more people have been shot, excluding the shooter.
- Another mass shooting occurred in the state on Monday, leaving seven dead.
Go deeper... In photos: Monterey Park honors mass shooting victims
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.
