Mourners collect to recollect Monterey Park victims

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. — A whole bunch of mourners gathered Wednesday evening at a vigil exterior the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, a sometimes quiet Los Angeles suburb now dwelling to one of many worst tragedies within the county’s historical past.

Group members introduced flowers, incense and candles, which twinkled instead of the 11 people who as soon as danced and laughed contained in the storied venue that has served as a gathering spot.

“I am truthfully perplexed,” stated Andy Luu, who was born in Monterey Park. “This might have been prevented.”

The suspect within the taking pictures hadn’t been to the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in 5 years and investigators have to this point discovered no connection between him and the victims, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated Wednesday evening.

Twenty individuals were shot Saturday evening throughout a Lunar New Yr celebration, simply an hour or so after tens of 1000’s of individuals attended festivities within the metropolis.

The suspect, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Sunday, confirmed up at a second dance corridor shortly after the taking pictures but was disarmed and fled.

Vice President Kamala Harris, a California native, visited Wednesday evening what has blossomed into a big memorial within the dance studio parking zone, somberly pausing at every of the massive, rose-framed images of the victims.

She positioned a big bouquet of yellow and white flowers alongside scores of others and instructed reporters that “Congress should act.”

“Tragically we maintain saying the identical factor,” she stated, referring to the variety of latest mass shootings within the U.S.

Requested whether or not congressional leaders may enact gun security legal guidelines, she stated, “Sure.”

“Ought to they do one thing? Sure. Will they do one thing? That’s the place all of us should converse up,” Harris added.

Moments after Harris boarded her motorcade, mourner Priscilla Wong erupted into heavy sobs.

She was a longtime common on the dance studio and misplaced a number of buddies Saturday evening, together with Diana Tom, a hardworking mom and grandmother who cherished to bounce.

“I promised them I would not come as a result of my youngsters are scared,” she stated. “However I really feel responsible not being right here.”

Los Angeles artist Noah Reich helped construct the altars for the Monterey Park victims. He stated he and his accomplice have additionally created public monuments for victims of mass shootings in Sacramento, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Buffalo, New York; Highland Park, Illinois; and Uvalde, Texas.

The concept got here to them after the 2016 mass taking pictures at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, by which 49 individuals had been killed and 53 had been wounded. Reich stated that as a homosexual man, he deeply sympathizes with Monterey Park’s Asian group and mourns not simply the lack of life, but additionally the lack of a secure area.

“I conserving pondering again to Pulse Nightclub,” he stated. “They had been simply dancing. These had been all simply individuals dancing.”

Late Wednesday evening, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division gave its first public updates since Monday on the taking pictures at Star Ballroom.

Luna, the sheriff, stated investigators found a bike Wednesday that the suspect is believed to have parked one block from the dance corridor simply earlier than the taking pictures. He stated the suspect appeared to have left the motorbike, described as a “road bike,” there as a substitute getaway car.

Investigators additionally decided the gun believed to have been used within the taking pictures — a compact semi-automatic and typically computerized firearm often known as a MAC-10 — was not registered in California, Luna, the sheriff, stated.

Luna stated that the suspect purchased the gun in 1999 in Monterey Park however that he did not know whether or not he received it from a vendor or a personal get together, nor did he know whether or not it had been modified. Two different weapons authorities linked to the suspect — a rifle and a pistol — had been registered within the state, Luna stated.

Officers are nonetheless working to determine a attainable motive, he stated.

“Typically it’s irritating when one thing like this occurs that’s so tragic and we’re making an attempt to know it and it doesn’t make sense,” Luna stated.

This text was initially printed on NBCNews.com