California Ends January with Three Mass Shootings
By: Margaret Chen
On Friday, January 20th, 10 people were slaughtered by a mass shooter at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, a predominantly Asian community just east of Los Angeles. An 11th died in the hospital from her injuries two days later. Another 9 were injured. When police attempted to apprehend the gunman, recently reported to be Huu Can Tran, he shot and killed himself in his van. He carried a modified semi-automatic until it was wrested away from him at the dance studio and was also found in possession of a handgun and rifle.
His motives are still unknown, and they may never be revealed. Investigations of his relationships and past have brought to light details that could have possibly contributed to his spree. Just recently, Tran had gone to the local police about “past fraud, theft, and poisoning allegations involving his family in the Los Angeles area 10 to 20 years ago,” the Hemet police said. Further statements from his former neighbor and ex-wife have reported that Tran held grievances against many and could be quick to anger. Still, Tran had little criminal record (other than an unlawful firearm possession charge in 1990) and had previously frequented the dance studio.
The following Monday, January 23rd, 7 people were shot and killed and another was critically injured by a gunman in Half Moon Bay. Chunli Zhao turned himself in to the local sheriff soon after.
It is believed that a $100 repair bill sparked Zhao’s rampage. He had long harbored work-related animosities, asserting in a court interview that “he was bullied, worked long hours on the farms and that his complaints were ignored.” Zhao’s gun was bought legally.
In both cases, both shooters were Asian, who targeted other Asians in their own community. Tran, who was 72, and Zhao, who was 66, were much older than the average age of mass shooters (32, according to the Violence Project). Most importantly, both were reportedly motivated by personal grievances against the people they slaughtered.
Just today, January 28th, three more people were killed and four wounded in an upscale neighborhood in Beverly Hills. The suspect has not been identified.
These recent shootings, along with the 49 that have happened in the first 29 days of 2023 alone, fuel calls for stricter gun regulations. The eerily similar circumstances of the Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay shootings especially raise cause for concern, as it displays how current US gun laws advances extreme reactions to intense emotions. After all, the US is known for being the land of “opportunity,” but what draws the line between this glory-filled “freedom” and murder?
Sources:
https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting?page=1
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/23/us/huu-can-tran-monterey-park-shooting-what-we-know/index.html