Sadly once again, many innocent lives have been taken from this earth by another mass shooting. This time it took place in Monterey Park, California on the night of January 21st, 2022. Many were out that day enjoying the Lunar Year at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio when shots broke out at 10:22 p.m.
Following the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, the perpetrator decided to go to another dance studio. It was then that Brandon Tsay saw the gunman and decided to jump into action and was able to disarm him. By doing so, he was able to not only save his own life but also those of other possible victims.
“I just had this rush of thought and adrenaline. I was able to conclude that I needed to do something, I needed to grab the gun. I needed to save myself and the people inside,” said Tsay.
Authorities have since then confirmed that the gunman, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, is responsible for taking the lives of 11 innocent people and injuring 9 more that day. The elderly man was found dead from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a white van in Torrance, California.
It was inside the van that authorities found significant evidence linking him to the shooting, such as the handgun that was used. Not only did they find evidence linking him to the Monterey Park shooting but also another incident that occurred in Alhambra.
Currently, the authorities are still unsure of what motives may have caused the perpetrator to open fire that day. It was said by others that he shared a regard for dance and was a regular at the dance studio. However, he was known for having anger problems according to his former wife.
“While Tran was never violent to her, she said he could be quick to anger. For example, she said, if she missed a step dancing, he would become upset because he felt it made him look bad,” stated CNN.
Later it was revealed that Tran had stated many times to his friends that his instructor didn’t like him and as a result, he acted unfriendly towards many people at the dance hall. Considering the fact that he had a very limited criminal history and not much connecting him to the victims, the motive remains a mystery to the authorities.
Unfortunately, 11 innocent lives were taken that day due to someone’s cruel and unjust actions. Although justice can no longer be made, finding out why Tran decided to commit that heinous crime can hopefully provide the victims’ families with some closure. The new year has just begun and there have been more mass shootings than there have been days. If this is not evidence that there is a problem in the United States, then what is?
Written by Staff Writer, Leslie Cisneros