Hemet Man Suspected In Mass Shooting Feared He Was Poisoned By Family

HEMET, CA — Details about the Hemet man suspected of fatally wounding 11 people in Monterey Park before killing himself over the weekend were released Monday, including his apparent belief that his family tried to poison him.

Huu Can Tran had a mobile home in the 5000 block of W. Florida Avenue in Hemet, according to the Hemet Police Department. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was continuing its search of the residence in the senior gated community for clues on what led the 72-year-old suspect to Saturday night's mass shooting at Monterey Park's Star Ballroom Dance Studio.

Eleven people between the ages of 50 and 80 died following the shooting and another nine were wounded during the melee. Update: All 11 Victims Identified In Monterey Park Mass Shooting

Tran had visited the Hemet Police Department's lobby just days before the killings, according to Monday's police statement. Tran showed up on January 7 and 9, alleging past fraud, theft, and poisoning allegations involving his family in the Los Angeles area 10 to 20 years ago, the department shared.

Tran told officers he would return to the station with documentation regarding his allegations but he never showed up, Hemet police said.

Hemet is about 85 miles southeast of Monterey Park and Tran had ties to the Los Angeles County city, according to records. He had an active trucking license and owned a company called Tran's Trucking Inc. with a post office box address in Monterey Park, according to online records. He had lived in the Los Angeles area since at least the 1990s and moved to Hemet in 2020, records showed.

On Sunday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said "everything is on the table" in terms of identifying the reasons for the shooting. The massacre occurred during a Lunar New Year celebration at the dance hall, a venue described by officials as popular with older patrons of Asian descent.

The gun that Tran used was likely illegal in California, having a magazine with a capacity that exceeds the state limit of 10 rounds, according to Luna.

Adam Hood, a tenant of a Los Angeles-area property owned by Tran, told Reuters the alleged gunman was "an aggressive and suspicious person" who had few friends but liked ballroom dancing.

"He was a good dancer in my opinion," Hood told the news outlet. "But he was distrustful of the people at the studio, angry and distrustful. I think he just had enough."

About 20 minutes after Saturday's shooting, Tran allegedly showed up at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio dance club in neighboring Alhambra. Brandon Tsay, who operates the dance hall, told authorities he wrestled a gun away from Tran before a shot went off.

About 12 hours later, police in Torrance cornered a white cargo van driven by Tran. As officers neared the van, they heard a single gunshot from inside as Tran killed himself, police reported.

A candlelight vigil was scheduled for Monday evening at Monterey Park's City Hall to honor the victims.