Police identified the suspect in the mass shooting Saturday night in Monterey Park, California, as Huu Can Tran, a 72-year-old Asian man.
Authorities say Tran died after shooting himself in a pickup truck that police surrounded on Sunday in nearby Torrance.
The shooter killed 10 and wounded 10 others after a Lunar New Year celebration in the Los Angeles County city of Monterey Park. A separate incident occurred in the neighboring Alhambra shortly after, but no injuries were reported.
“We’re still not clear on the motive,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters Sunday night. “The investigation is continuing and that is something that… we want to know. We want to know how something like this can happen, something so horrible.”
Torrance police officers located a white pickup truck matching the description of the shooting and followed it into a shopping center parking lot, according to Luna.
As the officers got out of their vehicle to communicate with the driver of the van, a shot rang out. The officers did not return fire.
Officers backed off and two armored SWAT vehicles responded to the scene in backup, but examination of the scene found the suspect had self-inflicted a gunshot wound, it added. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Investigators conducted a search of the vehicle and determined that the man inside the truck was the suspect in the mass shooting,” Luna said at the news conference, noting that the vehicle’s license plates are presumed to have been stolen.
“During the search, multiple pieces of evidence were found inside the van, linking the suspect to both Monterey Park and Alhambra locations. In addition, a gun was discovered inside the van.”
Luna said there were “no leading suspects” in the shooting, but stressed that the investigation was ongoing.
The sheriff noted Sunday that most of the victims were in their 50s and 60s or older.
Authorities are also looking into Tran’s criminal and mental health history while examining possible motives in the case.
