When the incident happened, the crowd was practicing Guangchang wu – a dance popular among middle-aged and elderly customers from China.
Grace is also joining regarding 100 other patrons in the dance. This 50-year-old guest has been practicing at the Star Ballroom for regarding four years.
Then, suddenly, she heard a series of explosions that resembled fireworks.
She looked towards the entrance and saw everyone collapsed on the floor, and she ducked under the table when she saw everyone else frantically doing the same. She can see the gunman and the weapon is 61cm long.
“No one dared to run away, we all ducked into the ground, hiding wherever we might.” she said.
A man she calls “Ma laoban” (boss Ma) – was near the entrance and appeared to be the first to be shot, according to Grace. The two people sitting next to him also collapsed when five or six shots were fired in quick succession.
The gunman then appeared to run out of ammunition and quickly left before returning to fire a second volley deeper into the ballroom. Some people appeared to have been shot lying on the wooden floor, others ducked under tables or ran to the back. Grace said the entire shooting lasted regarding five minutes.
Locals pray following the shocking attack. (Photo: Archyde.com)
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the suspect fatally shot himself followingwards in a parking lot regarding 180km from the scene in Torrance, when surrounded by police. The gunman was identified as Huu Can Tran, 72 years old.
After the shooter left, several people called 911 and police quickly arrived, Grace said. They were taken to the police station by truck and questioned regarding the suspect for hours.
Grace didn’t come home until 3 a.m. and only slept for regarding an hour because her phone rang constantly with calls from her friends and acquaintances.
She said that she still feels scared and shaking, not sure if she can return to the dance studio once more, even though she knows that dancing has made her happy and healthy. It is also where she learned her favorite dance, the waltz.