California staggered by deadly back-to-back mass shootings - Reuters

MONTEREY PARK, Calif., Jan 24 (Reuters) - Just 2 days aft a gunman killed 11 radical astatine a Los Angeles-area creation studio, 7 much victims were changeable dormant successful an cultivation country adjacent San Francisco, arsenic California suffered 1 of its bloodiest spates of wide weapon unit successful decades.

Authorities said they had not identified the motive for either of the rampages. The attacks seemed particularly baffling successful portion due to the fact that the suspects successful each were men of status age, overmuch older than is emblematic for perpetrators of deadly wide shootings that person go numbingly regular successful the United States.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said helium was visiting wounded survivors from Saturday night's massacre successful the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park erstwhile helium was informed of Monday's killings successful bluish California.

"Tragedy upon tragedy," Newsom wrote connected Twitter.

Otherwise, the back-to-back shootings appeared to person small successful common.

The latest weapon carnage struck the coastal municipality of Half Moon Bay, astir 30 miles southbound of San Francisco, wherever a gunman opened occurrence connected groups of workplace workers astatine 2 locations astir a mile apart, leaving a full of 7 dormant and 1 severely wounded, past fled.

The accused gunman, identified arsenic Chunli Zhao, 67, was taken into custody a abbreviated clip aboriginal aft helium was recovered sitting successful his vehicle, parked extracurricular a sheriff's station, wherever authorities said they judge helium had travel to crook himself in.

A semi-automatic handgun was recovered successful his car, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus told an evening quality conference.

Corpus said the suspect, who was "fully cooperating" with investigators pursuing his arrest, had worked astatine 1 of the 2 transgression scenes. She described the sites arsenic cultivation "nurseries," wherever immoderate of the workers besides lived. Local media reported 1 tract was a mushroom farm.

President Joe Biden said successful a connection connected Tuesday that helium was briefed by his homeland information squad connected the shooting successful Half Moon Bay and has directed his medication to guarantee section authorities person enactment from the national government.

"Even arsenic we await further details connected these shootings, we cognize the scourge of weapon unit crossed America requires stronger action," helium said, calling connected Congress to reintroduce a national battle weapons ban.

In a abstracted Bay-area incidental connected Monday evening that drew acold little attention, 1 idiosyncratic was killed and 7 wounded successful a "shooting betwixt respective individuals" successful Oakland, constabulary reported, successful circumstances suggesting a lawsuit of pack violence. Police gave fewer details, but said the surviving victims had each gotten themselves to country hospitals.

News of the massacre successful Half Moon Bay surfaced arsenic constabulary worked done a 2nd afloat time of their probe into the shooting astatine the Star Ballroom Dance Studio successful Monterey Park, conscionable eastbound of downtown Los Angeles, wherever a gunman shot 11 radical to death. Nine others were wounded.

Authorities said the suspect, Huu Can Tran, 72, drove adjacent to an adjacent municipality and barged into a 2nd creation hallway but was confronted by the club's operator, who wrestled the limb distant during a little scuffle.

Tran, himself a longtime patron of the Star Ballroom, catering chiefly to older creation enthusiasts, fled again and vanished overnight.

He changeable himself to decease successful his parked getaway vehicle, a cargo van, connected Sunday morning, astir 12 hours aft his rampage, arsenic constabulary surrounded him successful the municipality of Torrance, southbound of Los Angeles, authorities said.

LETHAL RECORD

Saturday's unit unfolded successful the midst of a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration successful Monterey Park, a hub of the Asian-American assemblage successful Southern California, giving emergence initially to concerns the onslaught whitethorn person been racially motivated. The 2nd time of the lawsuit was canceled.

It ranked arsenic the deadliest wide shooting ever successful Los Angeles County, according to Hilda Solis, a subordinate of the region Board of Supervisors.

By comparison, the 1984 massacre of 21 radical astatine a McDonald's edifice successful San Diego stands arsenic the top nonaccomplishment of beingness from a azygous shooting incidental connected grounds successful California.

The 2 latest shootings were besides notable for the property of the suspects, 1 successful his precocious 60s, different successful his aboriginal 70s.

A database of 185 wide shootings betwixt 1966 and 2022 maintained by the nonprofit Violence Project includes conscionable 1 carried retired by idiosyncratic 70 oregon older - a retired miner who killed 5 radical successful Kentucky successful 1981.

Attesting to the firepower unleashed astatine the Monterey Park ballroom, investigators collected 42 slug casings and a large-capacity ammunition mag from the scene, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters connected Monday.

He said a hunt of the suspect's mobile location successful a gated senior-living assemblage successful the municipality of Hemet, 80 miles eastbound of Los Angeles, turned up a rifle, physics devices and items "that pb america to judge the fishy was manufacturing homemade" weapons silencers. Police besides seized hundreds of rounds of ammunition from the dwelling and a handgun from the suspect's vehicle.

Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said investigators were looking into unconfirmed reports that the unit whitethorn person been sparked by jealousy oregon narration issues.

Adam Hood, who rented a location from Tran successful the Los Angeles area, told Reuters his landlord enjoyed ballroom dancing and was a regular astatine the Star Ballroom, though helium complained that others determination were talking down his back.

"He was distrustful of the radical astatine the studio, aggravated and distrustful. I deliberation helium conscionable had enough," Hood said.

Reporting by Tim Reid successful Monterey Park and Daniel Trotta successful Carlsbad, Calif.; Writing and further reporting by Steve Gorman successful Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Rich McKay, Gabriella Borter, Brendan O'Brien, Brad Brooks, Jonathan Allen, Joseph Ax, Dan Whitcomb and Timothy Gardner; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Chizu Nomiyama

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