Suspect in US mass killing shoots himself dead after cops surround van

The man suspected in the Los Angeles mass shooting, that left 10 dead and at least 10 others injured, identified as Huu Can Tran was found dead inside a cargo van after engaging in a standoff with the police, according to a CNN report.

The 72-year-old yesterday opened fire at a Chinese Lunar New Year party at Monterey Park in California’s Los Angeles. Police tracked him down to a van and surrounded it. As the officers approached the vehicle, they heard a gunshot.

“The suspect sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

The sheriff confirmed that there are no other suspects in the mass shooting incident, and added that the motive for the attack was not yet known. “The investigation is still ongoing,” he said.

Sheriff Luna said evidence that linked the suspect to Monterey Park and nearby Alhambra was found in the vehicle. A handgun was also found in the vehicle, according to CNN.

Officials have said detectives were reviewing surveillance video and did not yet know whether the suspect was targeting a particular group.

Meanwhile, United States President Joe Biden on Sunday ordered all US flags at public buildings to be flown at half-mast until sunset, January 26, according to a statement released by the White House. He further said that flag shall be flown at half-mast at all US embassies, allegations and consular offices and other facilities abroad..

In a separate statement, Joe Biden and Jill Biden offered condolences to the victims of the mass shooting in Monterey Park. He said that they know how deeply the attack has affected the Asian American and Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders community.

The shooting, the deadliest in the US since a shooter in Texas killed 21 people at an elementary school in May, has yet again brought under the spotlight rising gun violence in the country and easy access to firearms.

The last year saw as many as 647 incidents of mass shooting, with at least four people shot or killed by a shooter, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.

More than 44,000 people died from gunshot wounds in 2022 across the US, more than half of which were suicides.