Man shoot 10 people in a Southern California dance studio that used to be a regular at the venue, even meeting his ex-wife there, three people who knew him told CNN.
Police said Tran Huu Can, 72, opened fire at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in suburban Monterey Park, Los Angeles, on Saturday night, before shooting himself dead following a manhunt across the area on Sunday. .
His ex-wife said in an interview that she met Tran about two decades ago at the dance studio, a popular community gathering place where he teaches informal lessons. Tran saw her at a dance, introduced herself and offered her free lessons, she said.
The two married shortly after they met, according to the ex-wife, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case. Although Tran was never violent with her, she said he could get angry quickly. For example, she says, if she misses a dance step, he gets upset because he feels it makes him look bad. She said that after a few years together, she got the impression that he was no longer interested in her. Her sister, who also requested anonymity, confirmed her account.
It is unclear how often Tran has been to the discotheque, if any, in recent years.
Los Angeles court records show Tran filed for divorce in late 2005, and a judge approved the divorce the following year.
Tran is an immigrant from China, according to a copy of a marriage certificate his ex-wife showed CNN.
A 5-minute drive from his house: Another longtime acquaintance of Tran also remembers him when he is often present at the dance studio. The friend, who also wished to remain anonymous, became close with Tran in the late 2000s and early 2010s, when he said that Tran would drive about five minutes from his home in San Gabriel to the Star Ballroom Dance Studio “mostly” like every night.”
At the time, Tran often complained that the instructors at the disco didn’t like him and said “bad things about him,” the friend recalled, adding that Tran was “hostile to a lot of people.” people there.”
A friend said that Tran often gets angry easily, complains a lot and doesn’t seem to trust people.
According to his ex-wife, Tran once worked as a truck driver.
Business records show that Tran registered a business called Tran’s Trucking Inc. in California in 2002. But he dissolved the company about two years later, writing in a corporate filing that the company had never purchased any known assets or incurred any debt or liability. any known liability.
Buy a mobile home in Hemet: In 2013, Tran sold the San Gabriel home he’d owned for more than two decades, property records show.
Seven years later, records show, Tran purchased a mobile home in an elderly community in Hemet, California, a remote suburb about 85 miles east of Los Angeles.
Tran’s friend said he hadn’t seen Tran in years and was “absolutely shocked” when he heard about the shooting.
“I know a lot of people, and if they go to Star Studio, they are there often,” the friend said, adding that he was “worried maybe I know some” of the shooting victims.
