Who were the victims in the Monterey Park attack?
MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (NewsNation) — A gunman opened fire at a Los Angeles area ballroom dance club late Saturday night, killing 11 people.
Ten people were killed at the scene, and one victim died at an area hospital. Nine other people were wounded.
The suspect was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the van he used to flee after people at a separate dance club allegedly thwarted his second shooting attempt. However, the motive still remains a mystery.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner has identified all 11 victims, who range in age from their 50s to their 70s.
Here’s what we know about the Monterey Park shooting victims:
- My Nhan, 65
- My Nhan loved to dance, a statement posted by WFAA reporter Tiffany Liou on behalf of Nhan’s family said. The 65-year-old spent most of her weekends visiting the dance studio in Monterey Park. Her family said she had a warm smile and her kindness was contagious. Nhan is remembered as an aunt, sister, daughter and friend as well as her family’s biggest cheerleader.
- Lilan Li, 63
- Xiujuan Yu, 57
- Yu was a mother of three, including twins in college. Her family said she immigrated from China in the 2010s in hopes of building a new future for her children.
- Valentino Alvero, 68
- Alvero was “a loving father, a dedicated son and brother, a grandfather who loved his three granddaughters fiercely, an uncle who loved his nieces and nephews like his own,” his family said in a statement. Alvero loved ballroom dancing and was a devout Catholic. His family asked all priests and Catholics to pray for him. “We hope that he danced to his heart’s content until the very end and hope that he is now dancing in heaven,” the family said.
- Ming Wei Ma, 72
- Ma was a loving father and the owner of the Star Dance Studio. Witnesses said the dance instructor was killed while rushing the suspected gunman, Fox11 reported. According to Ma’s friends, he was an well-respected and beloved man.
- Diana Tom, 70
- A mother, wife and grandmother, Tom loved to dance, according to a gofundme.
- Chia Yau, 77
- Yu Kao, 72
- Hong Jian, 62
- Muoi Ung, 68
- Wen Yu, 64