Eleven people confirmed dead after Chinese New Year shooting in California
The number of people confirmed dead following a mass shooting at a Chinese New Year celebration in California has risen to 11.
One of 10 people wounded in the atrocity in Monterey Park, about seven miles (11 km) east of Downtown Los Angeles, has now died of their injuries, health officials said.
Two women, My Nhan, 65, and Lilian Li, 63, have been named as being among the dead.
Sky News understands that Ming Wei Ma, owner of the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, also died.
In a news conference late on Monday night, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said Alvero Valentino, 68, had been killed too.
All but one of the victims was 60 or older, according to the Los Angeles coroner’s office.
A total of 42 rounds were fired in Monterey Park, Mr Luna said, adding that a large capacity magazine was found at the scene.
About 20 minutes after the shooting there, the 72-year-old suspect, Huu Can Tran, entered the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio dance club in the neighbouring city of Alhambra.
Brandon Tsay, who operates the family-run venue, described how he managed to wrestle the weapon from him before he was able to start shooting.
“That moment, it was primal instinct,” Mr Tsay told The New York Times, adding that the gunman fled the scene after a 90-second struggle.
“Something happened there. I don’t know what came over me.”
Photos of the suspect were released by officers
Mr Tsay told ABC: “When I got the courage, I lunged at him with both my hands, grabbed the weapon and we had a struggle.
“We struggled into the lobby, trying to get this gun away from each other. He was hitting me across the face, bashing the back of my head.”
After finally getting control of the gun, Mr Tsay said he pointed it at Tran and shouted: “Get the hell out of here! I’ll shoot! Get away! Go!”
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Police surround van of shooting suspect
About 12 hours later, police officers in Torrance, 20 miles southwest of Monterey Park, cornered a white van Tran was driving.
As officers approached, they heard a single gun shot from inside as Tran killed himself.
A handgun recovered from the van’s interior was registered to the suspect, Mr Luna told reporters.
He also revealed that the weapon wrestled from Tran in Alhambra was a 9mm semi-automatic mach-10 assault weapon.
Mr Luna described Mr Tsay as a “hero”.
Tran’s mobile home in a community for pensioners has been searched, where numerous electronic devices, such as mobile phones and computers were recovered, Mr Luna said in his update.
A 308 calibre rifle was also discovered, and there were hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Tran had a “limited criminal history”, Mr Luna said, and was arrested in 1990 for the unlawful possession of a firearm.
A man lays flowers at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio
Law enforcement forces said evidence gathered so far indicated a personal motive rather than terrorism or a hate crime, NBC reported.
It has emerged that Tran visited police in his town of Hemet twice this month to allege he was the victim of fraud, theft and poisoning by family members between 10 and 20 years ago in the LA area, spokesman Alan Reyes said.
Tran said he would return to the station with documentation but never did.
A former tenant described him as “angry and distrustful”.
“There’s a lot of speculation and we don’t know,” said Mayor Henry Lo of Monterey Park, as he was asked about a potential motive.
It was the USA’s fifth mass killing this month.
US
Donald Trump plans to hit Canada with new tariff – while warning of blanket hike for other countries
Donald Trump has said he plans to hit Canada with a 35% tariff on imported goods, as he warned of a blanket 15 or 20% hike for most other countries.
In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the US president wrote: “I must mention that the flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers.”
Mr Trump’s tariffs were allegedly an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling, and the US president has expressed frustration with Canada’s trade deficit with the US.
In a statement Mr Carney said: “Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1.”
He added: “Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries.”
Mr Trump has sent a series of tariff letters to 23 countries so far, including one putting a 50% tariff on Brazil in part for the ongoing trial of its former president Jair Bolsonaro for trying to stay in office after he lost the election in 2022.
Mr Trump was similarly indicted for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020.
The higher rates would go into effect on 1 August.
Shortly after Mr Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on 2 April, there was a huge sell-off on the financial markets. The US president later announced a 90-day negotiating period, during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods.
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But in an interview with Sky News’s partner network NBC News, Mr Trump said he plans to impose higher blanket tariffs on most US trade partners.
“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%. We’ll work that out now,” he said.
He added: “I think the tariffs have been very well-received. The stock market hit a new high today.”
The US and UK signed a trade deal in June, with the US president calling it “a fair deal for both” and saying it will “produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income”.
Sir Keir Starmer said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”
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The US president also teased a “major statement” he will make on Russia over its war with Ukraine.
“I’m disappointed in Russia, but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks,” he said.
“I think I’ll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday.”
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It comes as Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said a new round of talks between Moscow and Washington on bilateral problems could take place before the end of the summer.
A Palestinian activist who was detained for over three months in a US immigration jail after protesting against Israel is suing Donald Trump’s administration for $20m (£15m) in damages.
Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil have filed a claim against the administration alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his role in campus protests.
The 30-year-old graduate student at Columbia University told Sky News’s lead world presenter Yalda Hakim being detained by ICE agents in March “felt like kidnapping”.
He described “plain-clothed agents and unmarked cars” taking him “from one place to another, expecting you just to follow orders and shackled all the time”, which he said was “really scary”.
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Mahmoud Khalil reunites with family after release
Mr Khalil said he was not presented with an arrest warrant and wasn’t told where he was being taken.
He said the detention centre he was taken to was “as far from humane as it could be” and “a place where you have no rights whatsoever”.
“You share a dorm with over 70 men with no privacy, with lights on all the time, with really terrible food. You’re basically being dehumanised at every opportunity. It’s a black hole,” he added.
Mr Khalil said he would also accept an official apology from the Trump administration.
The Trump administration celebrated Mr Khalil’s arrest, promising to deport him and others whose protests against Israel it declared were “pro-terrorist, antisemitic, anti-American activity”.
Mr Khalil said after around 36 hours in captivity he was allowed to speak to his wife, who was pregnant at the time.
“These were very scary hours, I did not know what was happening on the outside. I did not know that my wife was safe,” he said.
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‘Absolutely absurd allegations’
Mr Khalil said administration officials had made “absolutely absurd allegations” by saying he as involved in antisemitic activities and supporting Hamas.
“They are weaponising antisemitism, weaponising anti-terrorism in order to stifle speech,” he said. “What I was engaged in is simply opposing a genocide, opposing war crimes, opposing Columbia University’s complicity in the war on Gaza.”
A State Department spokesperson said its actions toward Mr Khalil were fully supported by the law.
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Asked about missing the birth of his son while he was in prison, Mr Khalil said: “I don’t think there’s any word that can describe the agony and the sadness that I went through, to be deprived from such a divine moment, from a moment that my wife and I had always dreamed about.”
Meanwhile, the deportation case against Mr Khalil is continuing to wind its way through the immigration court system.
Donald Trump has praised the Liberian president’s command of English – the West African country’s official language.
The US president reacted with visible surprise to Joseph Boakai’s English-speaking skills during a White House meeting with leaders from the region on Wednesday.
After the Liberian president finished his brief remarks, Mr Trump told him he speaks “such good English” and asked: “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Mr Trump seemed surprised when Mr Boakai laughed and responded he learned in Liberia.
The US president said: “It’s beautiful English.
“I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Mr Boakai did not tell Mr Trump that English is the official language of Liberia.
The country was founded in 1822 with the aim of relocating freed African slaves and freeborn black citizens from the US.
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Mr Trump promised the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau a pivot from aid to trade at the surprise meeting.
He described the countries as “all very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, and great oil deposits, and wonderful people”.
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Later asked by a reporter if he’ll visit the continent, Mr Trump said, “At some point, I would like to go to Africa.”
But he added that he’d “have to see what the schedule looks like”.
Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, promised to go to Africa in 2023, but only fulfilled the commitment by visiting Angola in December 2024, just weeks before he left office.
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