Family members of four victims killed in the Monterey Park mass shooting two years ago, as well as one survivor, have filed lawsuits against the estate of the shooter and the dance studio where the killings took place.
Wrongful death lawsuits on behalf of relatives of Xiujuan Yu, Yu Lun Kao, Lilan Li, My My Nhan — as well as a liability, assault and battery lawsuit on behalf of survivor Kevin Tang — were filed late last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The lawsuits — which were filed on the same day by the same law firm — allege that Star Ballroom Dance Studio should have known about “similar incidents of criminal activity” in the area and failed to “take reasonable steps and to employ security measures” such as “security guards, video cameras and adequate lighting” in order to “protect patrons.”
Tuesday marked the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 21, 2023 dance studio shootings, when Huu Can Tran, 72, of Hemet, killed 11 people and seriously wounded nine others.
Minutes later, Tran arrived at Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra but was stopped from entering and disarmed by Brandon Tsay, a man who has since been lauded — including by then-President Joe Biden — as a life-saving hero.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in Los Angeles County history, and took place on the eve of the Lunar New Year in a community that is majority Asian American.
A day after the dance studio shootings, the gunman killed himself after being pulled over by police officers outside a Torrance strip mall.
The victims of the shooting were almost all elderly and Asian. Many were regulars at the dance studio. The deadly attack shocked a small but lively city that is considered the first suburban Chinatown in the nation.
The lawsuits seek an unspecific amount of monetary damages from the estate of Tran and from the dance studio. Representatives for the estate and the dance studio could not immediately be reached for comment.
The owner of the Star Ballroom Dance Studio previously told Southern California News Group reporters that she likely would not reopen the business, saying it would be “difficult to return to the same spot to work.” The owner, who was personal friends with many who died, added at the time that “It’s hard to get rid of all these bad memories.”
The studio, which opened on West Garvey Avenue in 1990, was considered a social hub where immigrants could come to form friendships through dance lessons that were offered by renowned professional instructors.