MONTEREY PARK - In the days since 72-year-old Huu Can Tran opened fire at a Monterey Park dance studio, fragments of his life and possible motives for the attack have slowly emerged.

He at one time frequented the ballroom dance scene but appeared to have personal grievances against some in that world. He lived a somewhat isolated life. A law enforcement source confirmed to The Times that Tran was a gun enthusiast who purchased the semiautomatic MAC-10 assault weapon used in the attack in 1999.

But a clear sense of why he killed 11 people in Monterey Park before launching another attack at a dance hall in Alhambra that was thwarted remains a mystery.

And that mystery only seemed to grow Wednesday night with a hastily called news conference by L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna, who said no one has yet recalled Tran visiting the two dance halls anytime during the last five years or having a personal link to any of the victims.

“As of today, based on interviews, they have not been able to establish a connection between the suspect and any of the victims,” Luna said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department obtained a search warrant for Tran’s home in a senior community in Hemet, CNN reported. Records show Tran owned a mobile home in the community in Riverside County.

Several law enforcement agencies executed the search warrant at Tran’s residence in the 5000 block of West Florida Avenue Sunday night.

Tran visited the Hemet Police Department lobby twice earlier this month alleging past fraud, theft, and poisoning allegations involving his family in the Los Angeles area 10 to 20 years ago.

Story Date: February 1, 2023