The fatal Monterey Park mass shooting might have been result of a domestic dispute between the suspect and his wife, who was invited for the Lunar New Year's eve celebration at the dance studio on Saturday night. Hours later, the suspected gunman was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot in a strip mall parking lot.
Suspected Shooter's Wife Was Invited at the Event
The deadly shootout left 10 people dead and several others injured. The police released the description and photos of the suspected shooter. The pictures showed an Asian man between 30 to 50 years old, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. He is seen wearing a black leather jacked, a beanie and glasses.
Speaking to ABC 7, member of Chinese Chamber of Commerce and community leader Chester Chong said that the suspect was upset over not being invited for the Chinese new year's celebration at the dance studio located on the West Garvey Avenue.
Chong told the outlet that after talking to those who were present at the event, it was found that the suspect was upset as his wife was invited to the event, but not him. Chong said he believes that woman's husband is the suspect in this case and jealousy may be a possible motive for the shooting. He further added that it wasn't uncommon for the owner of the dance studio to hold these types of events and only invite certain people.
Shooter Committed Suicide
LA Times reported a white cargo van was linked to the mass shooting which started around 10 pm on Saturday night. Around 10 am on Sunday, the Torrance police tried to stop a vehicle matching the description near Hawthorne and Sepulveda boulevards.
Sources told the outlet that before the officers could approach the driver, he had shot himself dead. The images being circulated of the vehicles shows two bullet holes in the drivers-side window and a dead man slumped over the steering wheel.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that they were investigating if the mass shooting was driven by hate. Claiming that the department has not disclosed entire information to the public as someone called a hospital with some of the injured victims and threatened to "finish the job."
