Monterey Park mass shooting live updates: Gunman left to reload, survivor says

Monterey Park mass shooting live updates: Gunman left to reload, survivor says
Monterey Park mass shooting live updates: Gunman left to reload, survivor says
Eric Thayer/Getty Images

(MONTEREY PARK, Calif.) — At least 10 people were killed and 10 others were injured on Saturday night when a gunman opened fire at a crowded dance studio in Monterey Park, California, authorities said.

The suspect — identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran — fled the scene and traveled to nearby Alhambra, where he allegedly entered a second dance hall before being disarmed that same night. Tran was found dead on Sunday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a van in Torrance, about 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park, according to police.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Jan 23, 7:36 AM EST
‘Something came over me,’ says man who disarmed shooter

The man who disarmed the Monterey Park mass shooter recalled how “something came over me” during an interview Monday on ABC News’ “Good Morning America.”

“I realized I needed to get the weapon away from him,” Brandon Tsay said. “I needed to take this weapon, disarm him or else everybody would have died.”

Jan 23, 7:01 AM EST
Dance studio releases statement

The dance studio in Monterey Park where Saturday’s mass shooting took place has released a statement.

“What should have been a festive night to welcome the first day of the Lunar New Year turned into a tragedy. Our heart goes out to all the victims, survivors, and their families,” Star Dance Studio said in a Facebook post late Sunday. “In this time of healing, we hope that all those who were affected have the space to grieve and process what transpired within the last 24 hours. In the meantime, all classes will be canceled and studio will be closed until further notice.”

Jan 23, 5:31 AM EST
Survivor says longtime dance partner was among those killed

Shally was dancing the jive with her longtime dance partner on Saturday night when a gunman entered the studio and opened fire.

“We go to hide under the table,” Shally, who only provided her first name, recalled during an interview with Los Angeles ABC station KABC. “I think [my partner] had got shot already but not realized yet.”

Shally said she saw the gunman leave to get more bullets. When he returned, he reloaded the gun and opened fire again, she said.

“I said, ‘Lie down.’ We all lied down,” Sally told KABC.

Shally said the shooter then fled the scene and she turned to her partner, who she realized was unconscious. She tried to wake him but then saw her hands were covered in blood, she said.

“I thought I got shot too,” she told KABC.

Shally said she then realized that her partner had been shot in the back and the blood on her hands was his, from when they were holding each other in fear while hiding under the table.

“‘Wake up, wake up,'” she recalled telling her partner. “He was dead.”

Shally, who did not want to share the name of her dance partner, said he was a good friend and that they had danced together every week for about 10 years. She described him as a 62-year-old Asian man who didn’t have any family and said he was also friends with her husband, whom she married a couple years ago.

“He’s a nice guy,” she told KABC of her dance partner. “We love to dance.”

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Man who disarmed Monterey Park shooter speaks out: ‘Something came over me’

Man who disarmed Monterey Park shooter speaks out: ‘Something came over me’
Man who disarmed Monterey Park shooter speaks out: ‘Something came over me’
ABC News

(MONTEREY PARK, Caliif.) — The man who disarmed the Monterey Park mass shooter recalled how “something came over me” during an interview Monday on ABC News’ Good Morning America.

“I realized I needed to get the weapon away from him,” Brandon Tsay said. “I needed to take this weapon, disarm him or else everybody would have died.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

President Biden orders flags to half-staff after Monterey Park shooting

President Biden orders flags to half-staff after Monterey Park shooting
President Biden orders flags to half-staff after Monterey Park shooting
Photo by Rafa Elias/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden issued a proclamation Sunday night ordering American flags on federal government property to be flown at half-staff, to honor the victims after a gunman allegedly shot 20 people, 10 fatally, at a dance studio near a Lunar New Year celebration in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park.

Flags will remain at half-staff “as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence” until Thursday at sundown, Biden’s proclamation said.

“While there is still much we don’t know about the motive in this senseless attack, we do know that many families are grieving tonight, or praying that their loved one will recover from their wounds,” Biden wrote in a statement earlier Sunday evening.

Biden also spoke to how the attack impacted the AAPI community.

“Monterey Park is home to one of the largest AAPI communities in America, many of whom were celebrating the Lunar New Year along with loved ones and friends this weekend,” Biden wrote.

“As we await more crucial information from law enforcement, I want to assure the community of Monterey Park and the broader area that we will support you in every way we can.”

At an event in Tallahassee, Florida on Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris called the shooting “senseless,” and that it came at “a time of a cultural celebration.”

“All of us in this room and in our country understand this violence must stop. And President Biden and I and our administration will continue to provide full support to the local authorities as we learn more,” Harris said.

Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland were briefed on the shooting Sunday morning, and the FBI responded to assist the investigation.

Authorities identified a suspect on Sunday night as Huu Can Tran, 72, who was found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a van that law enforcement had surrounded and broken into.

ABC News’ Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Scoreboard roundup — 1/22/23

Scoreboard roundup — 1/22/23
Scoreboard roundup — 1/22/23
iStock

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
LA Clippers 112, Dallas 98
Miami 100, New Orleans 96
Toronto 125, New York 116
Oklahoma City 101, Denver 99
Phoenix 112, Memphis 110
Brooklyn 120, Golden State 116
LA Lakers 121, Portland 112

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
New Jersey 2 Pittsburgh 1 (OT)
Los Angeles 2, Chicago 1
Winnipeg 5, Philadelphia 3
Boston 4, San Jose 0
Arizona 4, Vegas 1

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Cincinnati 27, Buffalo 10
San Francisco 19, Dallas 12

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Temple 56, Houston 55
Purdue 58, Maryland 55
UConn 86, Butler 56

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Luke Combs reveals his secret for managing his success

Luke Combs reveals his secret for managing his success
Luke Combs reveals his secret for managing his success
ABC

If you’ve followed Luke Combs‘ career since the beginning, you’ve probably noticed the North Carolina native remains largely unchanged, in spite of his huge success.

The two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year reveals that was very much by design.

“That was definitely, like, a concerted effort on my part, you know, between me and the people that I’ve chosen to surround myself with … people that I met when I first got to town and didn’t have anything going on,” he tells ABC Audio. “And, you know, I met my wife before I had anything going on. I was driving the same car I drove in high school and [had] no shows.”

Of course, better cars and sold-out shows would follow; Luke married his wife, Nicole, in 2020, and they welcomed their son, Tex, just last year. But in the midst of all the changes, Luke’s nearest and dearest have stayed the same.

“I think just keeping those people close and surrounding yourself with people that don’t let you buy into your ego or yourself as an artist,” he adds, reflecting on what’s helped him stay on course. “Like, I don’t put a lot of stock in my self-worth being in the position that I’m in, as far as a human being goes. And I think that’s where it starts at.” 

If you’re keeping count, Luke currently has 14 number ones in a row, with the almost-unheard-of distinction that every single he’s ever released has gone to the top of the chart. His new album is set to arrive March 24. 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Adam Lambert walks back comment about straight actors playing gay, says homophobia “probably” cost him ‘American Idol’ win

Adam Lambert walks back comment about straight actors playing gay, says homophobia “probably” cost him ‘American Idol’ win
Adam Lambert walks back comment about straight actors playing gay, says homophobia “probably” cost him ‘American Idol’ win
Sofia Coppola, Scoot McNairy, Emilia Jones, Cody Fern and Adam Lambert at the Variety Sundance Studio, Presented by Audible ; Katie Jones/Variety via Getty Images

Adam Lambert made headlines last week for a comment he made about straight actors playing gay characters. But now Variety reports the singer claims he was “mostly being sarcastic” at the time.

Last week, after The Advocate posted a rumor that The White Lotus star Theo James was being considered to play the lead role in a biopic of the late pop superstar George Michael, Adam wrote in the comments, “Yay another straight man playing a gay icon,” and added an eye-rolling emoji. 

This naturally set off an online debate, but when Adam spoke to Variety Friday while promoting his new movie Fairyland, the publication reported that he told them he was “mostly being sarcastic” when he made the comment.

My actual comment was a straight actor playing a gay icon. I by no means think that gay characters can only be played by gay actors,” Adam told Variety. “That would be ridiculous.” 

He then pointed to Fairyland as an example: It stars Scoot McNairy, who’s straight, as a gay dad in 1970s San Francisco.  Adam called Scoot’s performance “brilliant.”

“It’s a big step forward that these stories are being told, but I hope in the future you’d see an out actor also being able to tackle an out leading role,” he added.

Later on Friday, he tweeted, “Representation and visibility have a strong impact on the LGBTQ+ community. People want to see themselves represented on screen. It’s also wonderful for queer people to be reassured that being out isn’t career suicide. You can be open about who you are AND be successful!”

Variety also asked Adam if he believes homophobia is why he lost American Idol in 2009. He said, “Probably. But it was 10 years ago!”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

New Rush picture book coming in May

New Rush picture book coming in May
New Rush picture book coming in May
Rufus Publications

A new Rush picture book is ready to hit shelves later this year. Portraits of Rush is being published by Rufus Publications and features photography from legendary music photographer Fin Costello. 

Costello had total access to the band, with photos capturing the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers during the All The World’s A Stage Tour from 1976 to 1977, the Exit Stage Left tour in 1981 and the major tours in between. It features black-and-white photos of them as they traveled, rehearsed, played live and even recorded in the studio.

The 240-page book features an introduction by music journalist John Tucker, along with articles on the band from magazines during that period. 

There are several editions of Portraits of Rush available, but quantities are limited, with only 666 numbered copies of the main edition available worldwide. There are also 50 leather and metal editions available, and 50 bundles featuring both versions.

The books are available for preorders now, and they’ll be shipped out sometime in May.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ notches sixth week at #1 with $20 million weekend

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ notches sixth week at #1 with  million weekend
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ notches sixth week at #1 with  million weekend
Disney

DMake it six weeks in a row at #1 for Avatar: The Way of WaterJames Cameron‘s blockbuster sequel to the 2009 film topped the weekend box office with an estimated $20 million, bringing its total domestic gross to $598 million. Globally, it’s now the sixth movie to earn $2 billion or more, grossing $2.024 billion. That makes it the #5 all-time global earner, just $28 million behind Avengers: Infinity War.

The animated adventure Puss in Boots: The Last Wish also remained strong, posting a second place finish with an estimated $11.5 million. To date, The Last Wish has grossed $126.4 million domestically and $297 million worldwide.

The horror film M3GAN slipped to third place, delivering an estimated $9.3 million. Its current North American tally stands at $73 million.

The weekend’s only new major release, the suspense thriller Missing, took fourth place with an estimated $9.3 million.

Rounding out the top five was the Tom Hanks-led drama A Man Called Otto, adding an estimated $9 million to its domestic haul, which now stands at $35.3 million.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Black mayors call public safety, homelessness biggest issues for New York, LA and Houston

Black mayors call public safety, homelessness biggest issues for New York, LA and Houston
Black mayors call public safety, homelessness biggest issues for New York, LA and Houston
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — For the first time in history, Black mayors are leading America’s four largest cities.

ABC News’ Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl recently sat down with three of them — New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner — in Washington, D.C., on the sidelines of the annual gathering of the countries’ mayors.

“It’s a moment for us,” Adams told Karl in the interview, which aired on ABC’s “This Week.” “It’s a moment that we are now really going after those tough challenges and historical problems that we fought for many years to be in the driver’s seat.”

Turner, who was first elected in 2016 and is currently serving a second term, said that while their mayoralities signal that “progress is being made,” he hopes that enough Black mayors are elected “to the point where it doesn’t stand out.”

Big cities facing same problems

“What is, in your view, the No. 1 issue facing your city?” Karl asked the three.

Their cities may be spread out across the country, but Turner, Adams and Bass are grappling with similar problems and challenges: For Turner and Adams, it’s “public safety,” while Bass is confronting homelessness in Los Angeles, they said.

“In Los Angeles, without a doubt, it’s homelessness,” Bass said. “But it’s the intersection of income inequality and also public safety. And because income inequality is so severe in Los Angeles, the most extreme manifestation of that is 47,000 people [sleeping] on the streets in tents, every night, in the city.”

While Adams campaigned on fighting crime in New York as a former police officer, the city is still struggling with major crimes, which rose more than 20% last year, despite homicides hitting their lowest level since 2019.

Bass and Turner elaborated on Adams’ notion that addressing public safety is key to solving multi-pronged issues in their cities. Turner said the approach was about “revitalizing our communities that have been underserved for a long, long time, dealing with issues of homelessness and those things that put people on the street.”

Karl pressed Bass on her comments about defunding the police — a progressive slogan for a push by some liberals to redirect police funding toward other community safety and service programs in an effort to reduce crime — while campaigning to be mayor.

“You called defunding the police ‘probably one of the worst slogans ever’ — why did you say that?” Karl asked.

“What I believe is that over time, especially the federal government, state and cities have divested, defunded social services,” Bass said. “So I think when a person goes into the academy, they don’t go in to address homelessness, addiction, mental illness. And so we need to refund our communities, build out the social safety net so that people don’t fall into crime.”

Turner said the “defund the police” movement — which gained popularity amid the nationwide protests for racial justice following the 2020 murder of George Floyd — received “too much play in the first place.”

“If you look at many of the cities, they were funding their police. The city of Houston never defunded its police,” said Turner.

“You wanted an increase in police funding,” Karl added.

“In fact, right at that time, we passed a 13% increase,” Turner said. “It’s not about defunding police, it’s about investing in communities.”

Migration straining big cities

Karl also asked Adams about his recent trip to El Paso, Texas, to see the U.S.-Mexico border. His office says more than 40,000 migrants have arrived in his city since the spring, including thousands bused to New York from Texas by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Adams has warned that the flow of migrants to New York has strained city resources, and he’s asked New York state and the federal government for help.

“This should not happen to any city in America — El Paso, Houston, Chicago, New York, Washington,” he said. “This is a national problem and our national government, Congress and the White House must do a long-term, comprehensive immigration policy. But the White House must deal with the immediate emergency we have now.”

Turner and Bass sympathized with Adams over the issue, both arguing that Abbott’s busing migrants north was an ineffective strategy.

“No. 1, you need comprehensive immigration reform,” said Turner. “No. 2, if you’re going to send people anywhere, there needs to be dialogue and collaboration — between, for example, the governor of New York or Denver or Chicago, wherever that’s taking place.”

“And if you want to score political points, that’s one way to do it,” Turner added. “But that doesn’t solve the problem and, quite frankly, migrants shouldn’t be used as political pawns on this chess board.”

Abbott has said he’s busing migrants to so-called sanctuary cities, cities which locally protect immigrants and refugees from deportation by federal authorities, to show them what border states are dealing with.

Bass said it was “very cynical” of Abbott and that “it’s a way of attempting to deliberately undermine New York City and Democratic-run cities that welcome immigrants.”

“Does something need to be done though to slow the flow of migrants over the border?” Karl pressed the mayors.

All three applauded the immigration plan put forth by the Biden administration earlier this month, which expanded the use of Title 42 and established a process for more immigrants to apply for asylum if they have a U.S.-based sponsor and set up an appointment at a port of entry.

“I think we need to use this opportunity now to really look at how do we have a real decompression strategy?” Adams said. “If we’re going to allow those that are coming in who have relationships here in the country, sponsors, if it’s coordinated in the proper way, we can absorb it throughout the entire country. You cannot absorb it just in a few cities that we’re witnessing right now, with each one of those cities acting independently to address a national crisis. That’s not how to do it.”

Karl also asked all three if they’d back President Joe Biden for a second term. Adams, Bass and Turner unanimously said they’d support Biden if he chooses to run again.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

12 shot in Baton Rouge nightclub, police say

12 shot in Baton Rouge nightclub, police say
12 shot in Baton Rouge nightclub, police say
Douglas Sacha/Getty Images/STOCK

(BATON ROUGE, La.) — Police are investigating a shooting that injured 12 people at a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, nightclub.

The shooting occurred just after 1:30 a.m. Sunday at 4619 Bennington Ave in Baton Rouge, according to the Baton Rouge Police Department.

The gunshot victims were taken to local hospitals, either by personal vehicles or by emergency responders, police said. They are all currently listed in stable condition.

The motive for the shooting is under investigation, police said.

Investigators did not release any information on a possible suspect.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.