Ten people were killed and at least 10 others injured in the attack, which was carried out as people gathered for a Lunar New Year festival in Monterey Park, California.
Authorities found evidence linking the suspect to both the Monterey Park shooting and another incident in the nearby city of Alhambra.
President Joe Biden has ordered U.S. flags at federal public buildings and military locations to be flown at half-staff until sunset Thursday.
According to NBC’s report, Investigators were probing the background of the suspect, Huu Can Tran, after the mass shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio rocked the majority-Asian community as it gathered to celebrate the Lunar New Year on Saturday.
Tran, 72, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being stopped by authorities following a manhunt, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Sunday.
“The unimaginable happened in our community last evening,” Monterey Park Mayor Henry Lo said in a statement Sunday, calling the deadly shooting a “horrible tragedy.”
“We understand our community is looking for answers,” he said, promising to update residents as the investigation continues.
Sources familiar with the investigation said a person in a white van subjected to a traffic stop in the coastal city of Torrance, about 30 miles from the crime scene, had fit the description of a person seen at crime scenes in both Monterey Park and adjacent Alhambra, where a gunman had entered another dance hall with a firearm shortly after the shooting in Monterey Park.
The gunman was quickly disarmed by community members in the second incident and managed to flee the scene.
As authorities, including SWAT officers, moved in on the van, they found the suspect had died. Several pieces of evidence in the van linked him to both crime scenes, Luna said. A handgun was also found in the van, he added.
A motive in the deadly incident is still unclear, Luna said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Sunday morning that he was closely monitoring the shooting. His office said it was working with local law enforcement in response.
“Monterey Park should have had a night of joyful celebration of the Lunar New Year,” Newsom said. “Instead, they were the victims of a horrific and heartless act of gun violence.”
<By Eugene Lee>
