According to former friends, the elderly shooter who carried out the Monterey Park dance hall massacre was out of step with other Asian immigrants who found happiness and friendship in places like the Star Ballroom Dance Studio.
People he came into contact with on Tuesday described Huu Can Tran, 72, as an angry recluse who seemed to have a grudge against the entire world, not just his ex-wife.
A man who formerly rented an apartment from Tran said, “I think his whole life was going down,” and he asked that his name not be used because he did not want to be affiliated with the shooter.
The man claimed, adding that he spoke with Tran every day at the time, “He had no work, he sold his property, very few friends, and I believe that he had no close pals.” “I don’t have a family, kids, a job, or money. He was in need and forlorn.
Police have had difficulty determining the cause of the bloodshed, but they believe Tran was aiming for his ex-wife when he stormed the Star Ballroom on Saturday and began shooting. The evicted tenant expressed doubt that Tran was after her.
The acquaintance added, “They’ve been divorced for almost 20 years.” “His ex-wife also enjoys dancing, so they frequently ran into one another at parties or other occasions.
Nevertheless, Tran frequently held his ex-wife responsible for the failure of his trucking company. According to records, Tran established a company called Tran’s Trucking in Monterey Park in 2002, and it was shut down two years later.
The man claimed that “his ex-wife pressured him into dissolving the business and he sold the truck.”
One day after killing 11 people and injuring nine more at Star Ballroom, Tran committed suicide as police closed in on his getaway van. Later, he attempted to enter the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in adjacent Alhambra, but Brandon Tsay, 26, disarmed him and forced him to leave.