Police identify deceased 72-year-old suspect in Monterey Park mass shooting 

Police have identified the suspect in Saturday night’s mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, as Huu Can Tran, a 72-year-old Asian man.

Authorities say Tran died after shooting himself in a van that police surrounded Sunday in nearby Torrance.  

The shooter killed 10 and injured 10 others following a Lunar New Year celebration in the Los Angeles County city of Monterey Park. A separate incident occurred in neighboring Alhambra shortly thereafter, but no one has been reported injured.

“We still are not clear on the motive,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters Sunday evening. “The investigation continues and that is something that … we want to know. We want to know how something like this, something this awful can happen.”

Torrance police officers located a white van matching a description from the shooting and followed it into the parking lot of a shopping center, according to Luna.

When officers got out of their vehicle to contact the van’s driver, a gunshot rang out. The officers did not return fire.

The officers pulled back and two armored SWAT vehicles responded to the scene as backup, but examination of the scene found the suspect had sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he added. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.  

“Investigators conducted a search of the vehicle and determined the male inside the van was the mass shooting suspect,” Luna said at the press conference, noting that the vehicle’s plates are assumed stolen.

“During the search, several pieces of evidence were found inside the van, linking the suspect to both locations in Monterey Park and Alhambra. In addition, a handgun was discovered inside the van.” 

Luna said there were “no outstanding suspects” from the shooting, but emphasized that the investigation was ongoing.

The sheriff on Sunday noted that most of the victims were in their 50s, 60s or older.

Authorities are also looking into Tran’s criminal and mental health history as they examine possible motives in the case.