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The Asian American community is reeling yet again due to another deadly attack.
Identified by authorities as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, the gunman had allegedly opened fire at Star Dance Studio before fleeing the scene and traveling to nearby Alhambra, California.
At that point, he allegedly entered a second dance hall before being disarmed there that same night.
The mass shooting occurred in a predominately Asian community of Monterey Park occurred just after 10:20 p.m. local time on Saturday night, during what should have been the most festive day of the year for those of Asian descent.
Tran allegedly fled the scene in a white van and drove to Alhambra, where he entered the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio before being disarmed. Tran’s violence had immediate and traumatic impact on the unsuspecting community.
“I feel this sense of great loss about the home that I always had,” said resident Eric Ching. “It’s just, it’s just gone. I’ll never be able to feel safe here again”
With a population of roughly 60,000, Asian-American residents are a majority in the small town of Monterey Park, nearly 13 miles from Los Angeles.
Noting the shooter was an Asian American and a former member of the local community, social media users noted the media narrative will require more nuance than the usual discourse surrounding hate crimes.
CBS News reports many of those at the dance studio were Chinese seniors who were having fun socially dancing at the studio — something that was highlighted in a 2019 Oscar-nominated documentary, “Walk Run Cha-Cha.”
Hero feels conflicted about being called “courage”
The night was winding down after a Lunar Near Year celebration at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, California, on Saturday, when Brandon Tsay heard the front door click close behind him.
“That’s when I turned around and saw that there was an Asian man holding a gun. My first thought was I was going to die here, this is it,” Tsay, 26, told ABC News‘ Robin Roberts during an interview Monday on “Good Morning America.”
“I was shaking all night. I couldn’t believe what happened,” Tsay said. “A lot of people have been telling me how much courage I had to confront a situation like this. But you know what courage is? Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the ability to have adversity to fear when fearful events happen such as this.”
Lai Lai Ballroom
Tsay said he used his elbows to separate the gun from the suspect during the struggle until, finally, he was able to pull the weapon away and shove the man aside. Tran would soon escape into the night.
ABC News reports on Sunday, after a daylong manhunt, police located Tran’s vehicle along a road in Torrance, about 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park.
As police pulled behind the van in a marked patrol car, the vehicle entered a shopping center parking lot. When officers exited their patrol car to approach the van, they heard one gunshot coming from inside the vehicle.
The officers found Tran dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the van, which had a stolen license plate, according to authorities.
Tsay told ABC News that he has bruising all over his body, including across his nose and the back of his head, Tsay bares the scars of another deadly night in America, sponsored by mass gun violence.
Self-proclaimed ‘Japanese’ Gwen Stefani has yet to address the Monterey Park shooting
Last week, White pop singer Gwen Stefani explained why she believes she is Japanese based on travels, artifacts collected, and memories connected to Japanese culture. Stefani said in part, “My God, I’m Japanese and I didn’t know it.”
Though she was called out for cultural appropriation, Stefani remained adamant about her connection to Asian Americans, explaining that there is “innocence” to her relationship with Japanese culture, referring to herself as a “super fan.”
Allure reporter Jesa Marie Calaor, who is Asian-American, disagreed. “Like Stefani, I am not Japanese,” Calaor wrote. “But I am an Asian woman living in America, which comes with sobering realities during a time of heightened Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate. … I envy anyone who can claim to be part of this vibrant, creative community but avoid the part of the narrative that can be painful or scary.”
To date, her most recent Twitter post, on January 20, is Stefani promoting an upcoming appearance at a golf tournament.
A habitual culture vulture, Stefani has had no mention of the horrific incident which claimed the lives of 10 innocent people of Asian descent. It reflects a major criticism of Calaor and others unimpressed by hollow admiration when times are good and White silence in times of conflict and controversy.
President Biden reacts to attack on Asian Americans
“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. – President Joe Biden.
On January 17, the Biden-Harris Administration released its first-ever National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) Communities.
The new strategy, which comprises action plans prepared by 32 federal agencies—including all 15 executive departments in the President’s Cabinet—builds on the Administration’s broader equity agenda and details much needed investments in AA and NHPI communities and priorities, including data disaggregation, language access, and combatting anti-Asian hate.