Huu Can Tran

Huu Can Tran was born on August 15, 1950, in Southeast Asia. Law enforcement authorities stated that he was of Vietnamese origin, although Tran himself had previously claimed ties to Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Friends later told investigators that Tran described being sent abroad as a young man to study electrical engineering and claimed involvement in organized crime, though these accounts were not independently verified.

Tran immigrated to the United States and became a naturalized U.S. citizen around 1990 or 1991. He lived for several years in Texas before relocating to San Gabriel, California, in 1989. During this period, he worked various jobs, including truck driving and carpet cleaning.

In the late 1990s, Tran became heavily involved in the Southern California ballroom dance scene. He was a regular patron and informal dance instructor at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, where he met his future wife. The couple married in 2001 and divorced in 2006. His former wife later stated that Tran was not physically violent during their relationship but was quick‑tempered and prone to anger.

Tran had a documented history of paranoia and erratic behavior. Police records show repeated 911 calls, hang‑ups, and reports alleging that others were attempting to poison him, threaten him, or steal from him. In November 1990, he was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm, though the charge was later dropped. In January 2023, just weeks before the shooting, Tran visited the Hemet Police Department twice, claiming that family members were poisoning him; no evidence was found.

By 2020, Tran was living alone in a senior mobile home community in Hemet, California, approximately 85 miles east of Los Angeles.

On the evening of January 21, 2023, Huu Can Tran drove to the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California, following Lunar New Year celebrations taking place nearby. At approximately 10:22 p.m. PST, Tran entered the ballroom armed with a Cobray M‑11/9 semi‑automatic pistol equipped with a high‑capacity magazine, which is illegal under California law.

Inside the crowded dance hall, Tran opened fire indiscriminately, discharging 42 rounds. Ten people were killed at the scene, and multiple others were seriously wounded. Witnesses reported that Tran shot some victims multiple times while moving through the room. Among those killed was Ming Wei Ma, the studio’s owner and manager. Another victim, Yu Lun Kao, was killed while shielding others from gunfire.

After fleeing the Star Ballroom, Tran drove approximately three miles north to Lai Lai Ballroom in Alhambra, where he attempted to carry out a second shooting. He was confronted in the lobby by Brandon Tsay, who wrestled the gun away from Tran and forced him to flee. This intervention prevented further loss of life.

Tran escaped in a white Chevrolet Express cargo van. Law enforcement launched a region‑wide search, and Tran was identified using the firearm recovered at the Alhambra scene.

At approximately 10:20 a.m. on January 22, 2023, police located Tran’s van in a parking lot in Torrance, California. As officers approached, they heard a single gunshot from inside the vehicle. Tactical units later confirmed that Tran had died from a self‑inflicted gunshot wound to the head, using a Norinco 7.62×25 mm handgun.

Tran was pronounced dead at the scene. No police officers fired their weapons during the standoff.