Older Asian Americans In Monterey Park Found A Community In Ballroom Dancing. Some Say A Mass Shooting Won’t Sway Them.

For decades, Star Ballroom Dance Studio was a place of fun and community for older Asian Americans in Monterey Park, California, where they learned to dance, spent time together, and celebrated parts of their cultures. 

That sense of safety was shattered on Saturday night, the eve of Lunar New Year, when a shooter opened fire on the revelers in the studio, killing 11 people and injuring nine more. The shooter, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, then traveled to Lai Lai, another dance studio in nearby Alhambra, but was confronted and disarmed by the owner’s son.