Mass shooting in Monterey Park, California during Lunar New Year celebrations
Brandon Tse, the man who disarmed Monterey Park suspect Hu Can Tran, said he had never held a gun before their brawl on Saturday.
No, I’ve never held a gun before. It’s scary … the weight of the gun, it dawned on me how this object was something that could end a person’s life,” Tse told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday.
Tran, who was pronounced dead on Sunday after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound, is accused of killing 11 people and wounding nine others in a shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, on Saturday. doubt.
After the massacre, the 72-year-old gunman walked into the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in nearby Alhambra, California — a moment Tse said initially froze him.
Tse said, “He pointed a gun at me. It looked like he was trying to find room for other people.” “He didn’t say anything, he was silent, even motionless, very scary that he wasn’t saying anything or giving me any instructions.”
When it appeared the gunman was preparing to fire his weapon, Tse said he swung into action.
I realized at that moment that I needed to do something … I needed to grab the gun, try to disarm him so that he could do no harm to me or others,” Tse said.
Realizing the gunman was distracted, Tse said he attacked him with both hands and grabbed his weapon.
“I would say the struggle lasted about 40 seconds,” Tse said. “But it felt long, it felt like an eternity with the adrenaline and my thoughts.”
Tse said he was able to pull out the gun, then pointed the weapon at the gunman and told him to leave, threatening to shoot him.
“I thought I would really have to kill him,” Tse said. “Yes, I was ready to fire but I didn’t want to shoot him anywhere that would be fatal. I wanted to see if I could aim at the legs above the arms. Something that would allow him to cover the gun.” stop trying.”
Asked if he ever thought he was capable of shooting someone, Tse said:
He said, “If I look at my past experiences, it seems like I would have more of a flight response to escape. But now when I see that in this situation, my character and my mindset are completely different.” “
Tse has been hailed as a hero for his actions.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted a photo of his meeting with Tse, saying: “What a hero looks like.”
Tse said that he understands the responsibility of the word “hero”.
“I’m glad people can look at me and see this person, he was able to survive this situation. Maybe there is hope for others,” he said.
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