People leave flowers and candles for the shooting victims near the dance hall
The killer was a regular at the dance hall
It always seemed like people inside were talking about him behind his back
Local police found a rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and various electronic devices during a search of the suspect's residence. "Judging from the scene, the suspect made his own weapon silencer." Luna said.
According to police, the gunman was 72-year-old Asian man Chan Yau Chin. He was known to be a truck driver who had owned a trucking company since 2002 and had previously been a regular at the dance hall where the incident occurred, going there almost every night. He also met his ex-wife at the ballroom and taught her to dance, although they divorced in 2005. Since then, Chen Youqin is understood not to have had a girlfriend.
Adam Hood is a tenant at one of Chan Youqin's properties and the two of them often talk together. Adam Hood told reporters that Chen Youqin was short-tempered and had no friends, but was very fond of ballroom dancing, which was his main social activity. Chen Youqin's ex-wife, while refusing to be interviewed by the media, had previously revealed that Chen Youqin was short-tempered but had not committed any violent acts against her. "He taught me to dance, but if I made a wrong step, he would get very grumpy."
Chen Youqin's friend told reporters, "He doesn't trust the people in the ballroom and he always feels that the people in the ballroom are talking about him behind his back and is very angry, but he dances very well." Chen Youqin was also known to be very familiar with the ballroom as he had previously worked as an unofficial instructor at the ballroom, teaching people how to dance.
According to police, Chan Yau Chin was arrested in the 1990s for illegal possession of a firearm. "The shooting appears to be targeted," according to Sheriff Luna. In January, Chen Youqin reportedly went to the local police station to make allegations about his family's behavior 20 years ago and indicated he would return to gather documentary evidence, but has not since.
Survivor:
Saw the body of the dance hall owner after coming out of the bathroom
Many middle-aged and elderly people in the dance hall were practicing square dancing in front of the hall's wall-mounted mirrors when the shooting occurred. It is understood that the ballroom usually plays Chinese square dance songs, which are very popular with Asian middle-aged and elderly people. All of the dead in the shooting were between the ages of 50 and 80.
Grace, who is in her 50s, was a regular at the dance hall where the shooting took place. In an interview, she recalled suddenly hearing a series of popping sounds that sounded like fireworks. "I hid under the table and kept seeing people falling on the floor. I could even see the shooter and his two-foot weapon." Grace even felt the aftermath, "No one dared to run, we all got on the floor and hid as best we could."
Grace said she watched as her acquaintance, "Boss Ma," was the first to be shot. After that, the two men next to him went down with five or six gunshots. "When the bullets ran out, the killer would continue to reload and then continue shooting deeper into the ballroom. The shooting went on for about five minutes." She said.
A friend of another survivor told the media that her friend was in the restroom when the shooting began. "When she came out, she saw a gunman and three bodies, including the owner of the dance hall."
The owner of a nearby seafood barbecue restaurant said three men burst into his store that night and told him to hurry up and lock up. "They told me that the gunman had multiple rounds of ammunition, so once he ran out, he would reload." The owner recalled.
Surveillance footage from the "Lai Lai Ballroom" shows the suspect entering the room
Two heroes who saved lives
Bravely grabbed guns as they fled to avoid a repeat of the tragedy
A half-hour after the first shooting, Chan Yau Chin was back in Alhambra, 2 miles away "Lai Lai Ballroom" to continue shooting, but another tragedy was averted when someone present snatched the weapon out of his hand as he fled.
Sheriff Luna said in response, "There were two heroes who disarmed him, and they saved more lives or the outcome would have been worse. We recovered the weapon at the 'Lai Lai Ballroom' and it was a semi-automatic pistol, not an assault rifle, but the pistol had an expandable high-capacity magazine attached."
Jonathan, who owns a nearby milk tea store, was shocked by the violence. "It's the middle of the holiday season and people are getting together to celebrate and pray for good luck for next year, and then something like this happens."
It was reported that the shooting took place at the Dancing Star Dance Studio, which was founded 10 years ago. The studio offers dance classes in everything from tango to rumba and rents out space for events. According to the studio's website, every Saturday night from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., the studio hosts an event called "Starry Night." The "Dancing Star Ballroom" was reopened to the public on the 23rd, but it is only used for dance instruction and does not involve any events. "As an extra precaution, all students and instructors are searched before entering. Our prayers are with the families of the victims." Ballroom staff posted on social media.
Red Star News reporter Fan Xu Intern reporter Liang Hong
Editor Guo Zhuang
Extended reading
California Chinese youth, 26, grabs gun to stop more people from being swept up:Thought I would die
Web video footage
"Finally I grabbed the gun from his hand and pushed him aside to pull away some distance." Choi said he then pointed the gun at the man and told him, "Get out. Or I'll shoot you."
"At that point, I thought he was going to run away, but he just stood around considering whether to fight or run away," Cai said.
But the man left, Cai said. He immediately called police, with a gun in his hand.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that the gunman was disarmed at a second dance club by people who were there.
"It could have been worse otherwise," the sheriff said.
Cai and his family told The New York Times that he struggled with the gunman so he could control the weapon himself.
"It was just my son. He would have died." His father, Tom Choi, added that he was proud of his son's courage.
Brandon Chua, 26
Chua's actions led directly to authorities finding the suspect. The suspect was allegedly spotted by police in Torrance on Sunday and shot himself to death as officers approached his vehicle.
Cai said many people told him afterward how brave he was.
"My heart goes out to all the victims." He said, "I hope the survivors and the families of the victims find the courage and strength to persevere."