On Jan. 21, 2023, in Monterey Park, California as people prepared to celebrate Lunar New Year, tragedy struck as a shooting took place at Star Dancing Studio which left eleven people dead and nine injured.
The gunman, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, turned his eyes to Lai Lai ballroom after the devastating events at the Star Dancing Studio, but an employee disarmed him before he could cause any damage there, and on Sunday, Tran took his own life. Huu Can Tran was once a regular at Star Dancing Studio and even met his ex wife there, yet officials say Tran had no connection to any of the victims. Some of the members of Star Dancing Studio that knew Tran, say that Tran’s motive came from a deep rooted hatred for some instructors at the Star Dancing Studio and a sense of being unwelcome wherever he went. Around 50 to 60 people were in the studio as the shooting took place, one man told reporters, “First I thought it was firecrackers and then I saw people fall down.” Majority of the people that attended the studio were older Asian-Americans, members said being there felt like they were back in their hometown, “People here all come from similar backgrounds, so there’s a sense of belonging,” said Peter Chou, 76, an avid dancer at Star Dancing Studio.
A memorial was held on Wednesday, Jan. 25, to remember the lives that were lost, “We hope that he danced to his heart’s content until the very end and hope that he is now dancing in heaven,” said the family member of 68-year-old Valentino Alvero, one of the victims.
