A fun celebration turned deadly when a gunman opened fire on a ballroom in Monterey Park, California, a city not far from Los Angeles. On January 21^st, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran interrupted a celebration on the eve of the Lunar New Year. He killed 10 people and injured at least 10 more. 

After the shooting in Monterey, it is believed that Can Tran went to another dance hall in the city of Alhambra. Can Tran did not open fire on the dance hall, but rather fled. Los Angeles County officers later found Can Tran dead in a parked van outside a strip mall, the same van that had been spotted leaving the scene. He had reportedly shot himself. 

Officers searched the van and found a small handgun and stolen license plates, evidence that he was, in fact, the killer. No connection has been made between Can Tran and his victims. The motives of his actions are still unknown and still under investigation. 

The mass shooting is one of the worst in California’s recent years. It raises many questions, and fear of the violence that continues to happen in this country, particularly in schools. “It’s devastating to see what is happening”, Amelia Smith, a high school student says. “We shouldn’t have to fear going to school”. 

Just this year, there have been 36 mass shootings in America. Monterey Park is the 32nd. Even as this article is being written, more shootings are occurring all over America.