Monterey Park – latest: Gunman’s ‘poison’ paranoia revealed as 7 killed in latest mass shooting at Half Moon Bay

The Monterey Park gunman had told the police earlier this month that his family had tried to poison him decades ago, officials said.

Hemet police spokesperson Alan Reyes said in a statement on Monday that 72-year-old Huu Can Tran visited the Hemet Police Department lobby twice this month – on 7 January and then again on 9 January.

Tran had also made allegations of fraud and theft, apart from claiming that his family in the Los Angeles area had tried to poison him some 10-20 years ago.

Maroosha Muzaffar has more details:

Brandon Tsay, whose family owns the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, told ABC’s Good Morning America that he lunged at the shooter when he entered the venue armed and looking for people to shoot.

Mr Tsay said he was unaware at the time about the earlier attack in Monterey Park, where 10 people were killed and 10 others wounded.

“He started prepping the weapon and something came over me,” said the 26-year-old coder. “I realised I needed to get the weapon away from him. I needed to take this weapon, disarm him or else everybody would have died.”

Initial reports suggested two people disarmed the gunman, but Mr Tsay’s family says security footage shows he acted alone.

Most of the dance attendees had left when the shooter entered the ballroom studio on Saturday night.

After a struggle in which they exchanged blows, Mr Tsay was able to seize the weapon and threatened to shoot the intruder unless he left.

The former wife of shooting suspect Huu Can Tran, 72, has spoken out after police say her ex-husband killed 10 people and injured 10 more at a shooting on 21 January at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California.

Speaking to CNN, Tran’s ex-wife, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity surrounding the case, said she met him two decades ago at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio where Saturday’s massacre took place.

California Governor Gavin Newsom was in Monterey Park meeting with victims of Saturday’s mass shooting on Monday when he learned about the shooting at Half Moon Bay.

“At the hospital meeting with victims of a mass shooting when I get pulled away to be briefed about another shooting. This time in Half Moon Bay. Tragedy upon tragedy,” he tweeted.

In an interview with CBS, the governor described the Second Amendment as a “suicide pact” and said that “large capacity magazines do not belong on our streets”.

“This Second Amendment’s becoming a suicide pact, it feels like,” he said.

“California’s 37 per cent lower than the death rate of the rest of the nation, and yet, with all that evidence, no one on the other side seems to give a damn.”

California has been rocked by its third mass shooting in as many days as one victim was killed and seven others injured in a shooting rampage at a gas station in Oakland.

The shooting unfolded just after 6pm on Monday evening at a gas station along Seminary Avenue and Macarthur Blvd, according to the Oakland Police Department (OPD).

Law enforcement responded to the scene after being notified to a shooting through ShotSpotter activity.

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Less than 48 hours on from the massacre in Monterey Park, California was rocked by yet another mass shooting on the outskirts of Half Moon Bay in San Francisco on Monday.

Seven people were killed across two locations at agricultural businesses – a mushroom farm and a trucking facility – before a suspect was taken into custody.

The gunman shot dead four victims and wounded a fifth at the farm, before shooting another three victims dead at the second business located a few miles away, according to authorities.

Chunli Zhao, a 67-year-old worker at the mushroom farm, was found sitting in his car in the parking lot of a sheriff’s substation and was taken into custody, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said.

The motive for the attack remains unclear but Mr Zhao and the victims all worked at the businesses.

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has released the names of two of the ten victims of the Monterey Park shooting on Saturday night.

Both were women in their 60s — My Nhan, 65, and Lilan Li, 63.

The other victims are three other women and five men, nine of whom are in their 60s and 70s and one of whom was aged in her 50s, officials have said.

Unofficially, friends identified the first victim as the owner of the ballroom studio.

Ming Wei Ma, the studio owner and a dance instructor, heroically ran towards the gunman to try to stop the massacre, a friend told CBS Los Angeles.

The City of Alhambra has announced that it will go ahead with its planned Lunar New Year celebration this coming Sunday, 29 January.

A statement released via Facebook says: “While we don’t have all the information on the motives of Saturday night’s tragedy, Sheriff Luna has confirmed it was not related to the Lunar New Year Festival and the suspect is no longer a threat to the community.

“Alhambra’s Lunar New Year Festival will still take place this Sunday, January 29th. The safety of our community is paramount, as such, additional resources from the Alhambra Police Department will be present.

“We look forward to our celebration and our community coming together.”

High-profile survivors of mass shootings and gun reform advocates have reacted with horror and outrage after a gunman murdered 11 people at a Los Angeles dance hall on the eve of Lunar New Year.

The White House released the following statement from President Joe Biden following the deadly shooting in Monterey Park.

Jill and I are thinking of those killed and injured in last night’s deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park. While there is still much we don’t know about the motive in this senseless attack, we do know that many families are grieving tonight, or praying that their loved one will recover from their wounds.

Even as we continue searching for answers about this attack, we know how deeply this attack has impacted the AAPI community. Monterey Park is home to one of the largest AAPI communities in America, many of whom were celebrating the Lunar New Year along with loved ones and friends this weekend.

Early this morning, I directed my Homeland Security Advisor to mobilize full federal support to local and state authorities as they continue to respond and investigate this shooting. As we await more crucial information from law enforcement, I want to assure the community of Monterey Park and the broader area that we will support you in every way we can.