California police on Monday were searching for a motive in the Monterey Park massacre that left 11 dead and nine wounded, as the identities of the victims began to trickle in.
Police said that on Saturday evening, Huu Can Tran, 72, walked into the Star Dance Studio and Ballroom, a club frequented by older residents in the predominantly Asian community, and opened fire, as Lunar New Year festivities concluded.
Monterey Park, which is about 13km east of Los Angeles, hosts one of the state’s largest Lunar New Year celebrations.
Ming Wei Ma, the club’s owner, ran towards the gunman and was among those killed.
“He was the first to rush at the shooter to try and save others,” his friend, Eric Chen, told KCAL News, describing Mr Ma as a caring and "people-first" person.
In an interview with The Pasadena Star-News in 2016, Mr Ma said his goal at the studio was to bring different nationalities together and to provide a place where the Asian community could “prolong their life and improve their health”.
“Having a place where people from all over the world can come together and communicate through dance is how I can help,” he told the paper.
Also killed in the shootings were My Nhan, 65, and Lilan Li, 63.
Ms Nhan's family issued a statement: “She spent so many years going to the Monterey Park Dance Studio on weekends … unfairly, Saturday was her last dance. We are starting the Lunar New Year broken.”
They described Ms Nhan’s “warm smile and kindness” as “contagious”.
Second shooting averted
About 20 minutes after the studio shooting, Mr Tran headed to the Lai Lai Dance Studio in nearby Alhambra, where he was disarmed by two people, including Brandon Tsay, the club owner’s grandson, authorities said.
Surveillance video shows Mr Tsay wrestling with Mr Tran.
“I got the gun, pointed it at him and said, ‘Get the hell out of here. I’ll kill you’” Mr Tsay told Good Morning America.
“He was just standing there contemplating whether to fight or to run away. I really thought I would have to shoot him.”
But the gunman fled and Mr Tsay called police “with the gun still in my hand”.
The semi-automatic firearm was used to identify the gunman, law enforcement officials said.
“He was disarmed by two community members who I consider to be heroes,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna on Sunday.
In the early morning hours following the shooting, authorities found Mr Tran dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in his white van in the car park of the Del Amo Mall in Torrance, about 33km south of the crime scene.
Mr Tran’s former wife told CNN that he had never been violent towards her but could be quick to anger.
She said Mr Tran, who is a Chinese immigrant according to their marriage licence, was a default instructor at the Star Dance Studio.
Police reports show that Mr Tran filed a report in which he alleged that his family was trying to poison him.
Mr Luna also said that “everything is on the table” regarding his motive.
“We don't know if this is specifically a hate crime defined by law, but who walks into a dance hall and guns down 20 people,” he said.
The Asian American-Pacific Islander Victory Alliance said: “The AAPI community is once again mourning in the aftermath of another act of gun violence.
“On the eve of what was to be a celebration for our community, this senseless tragedy in Monterey Park reminds us of the struggle that our community continues to endure because of America's violent history.
“Sadly, the gun industry and the NRA [National Rifle Association] have taken advantage of continued rising hate and violence against the AAPI community as a tactic to market and sell us even more guns.”
US President Joe Biden has ordered flags to be flown at half-mast.
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Results
UAE beat Nigeria by five wickets
Hong Kong beat Canada by 32 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi – Ireland v Jersey
7.30pm, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Canada v Oman
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Honeymoonish
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Barbie
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BANGLADESH SQUAD
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahaman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
more from Janine di Giovanni
MATCH INFO
Schalke 0
Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')
Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
HOW%20TO%20ACTIVATE%20THE%20GEMINI%20SHORTCUT%20ON%20CHROME%20CANARY
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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