- The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office has identified some of the Monterey Park shooting victims.
- Ten of the 11 victims killed were in their 60s or 70s, officials said. An 11th victim was in her 50s.
- Six of the nine people injured were still being treated in the hospital as of Monday.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office has begun identifying the 11 victims who were killed in a shooting at a Monterey Park, California, dance hall Saturday.
The shooting took place at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio around 10 p.m. local time during a Lunar New Year celebration, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office told Insider.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services confirmed on Monday that an eleventh victim had died after succumbing to “extensive injuries.”
Jorge Orozco, Chief Executive Officer at LAC+USC Medical Center where four of the original 10 injured victims were treated following the shooting, said one patient remains in serious condition, while the other two patients are recovering.
In addition to the 11 people slain, another 9 people were injured in the massacre. Six of those injured were still hospitalized for their injuries as of Monday.
Ten of the 11 victims were identified by officials as being in their 60s or 70s, and another victim was in her 50s.
The first four victims identified by the coroner’s office are three women and a man:
- My Nhan, 66
- Lilan Li, 64
- Xiujuan Yu, 57
- Valentino Alvero, 68
Nhan’s family said in a statement that she “spent so many years going to the dance studio in Monterey Park on the weekends.”
“It’s what she loved to do,” her family continued, “but, sadly, Saturday was her last dance.”
They said they are “heartbroken” and “we never imagined her life would end so suddenly,” adding that “if you knew her, you knew her warm smile and kindness was contagious.”
—Tiffany Liou (@tliou) January 23, 2023
The remaining victims’ names have not been released as the coroner’s office is still waiting to contact their next of kin. The remaining victims include two women in their 60s, one man in his 60s, and three men in their 70s. The coroner said the victim who died at a local hospital on Monday was a woman in her 70s.
Local community organizations have set up a victim’s fund to support those affected by the mass killing.
After opening fire at the dance hall, the suspect fled the scene and attempted an attack at a second dance studio in the nearby city of Alhambra before being stopped and disarmed by bystanders, police said.
He then escaped the second location on foot and police searched for the gunman throughout the night.
The sole suspect, who police have identified as a 72-year-old Asian man, was found dead inside a cargo van with self-inflicted gunshot wounds on Sunday after an hours-long standoff with a SWAT team.
He died before he could be arrested.
