'Last Dance': Remembering The 11 Killed In Monterey Park Mass Shooting

MONTEREY PARK, CA — An evening meant to usher in the fresh start of the Lunar New Year ended violently Saturday, leaving the families of the eleven people killed in the Monterey Park mass shooting in mourning. All the victims had been identified by authorities as of Tuesday.

Authorities by late Monday had identified Mymy Nhan, 65; Valentino Marcos Alvero, 68; Lilan Li, 63; and Xiujuan Yu, 57, among the dead. On Tuesday morning, they named the remaining seven victims: Ming Wei Ma, 72; Muoi Dai Ung, 67; Hongying Jian, 62; Yu-Lun Kao, 72; Chia Ling Yau, 76; Wen-Tau Yu, 64; and Diana Man Ling Tom, 70.

The shooting took place around 10:20 p.m. at Star Dance Studio, authorities have said. Ten victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while another died later at a hospital, according to authorities.

Following the rampage in Monterey Park, the shooter went to Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, where a young employee intervened, wrestling away the semiautomatic pistol and causing the gunman to flee. The attacker fatally shot himself the following day inside a van in Torrance.

More than 100 people attended a vigil Monday night at Monterey Park City Hall, and separate vigils are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday in Monterey Park.

California suffered a second deadly mass shooting in less than three days on Monday afternoon when a gunman killed seven people at two locations in Half Moon Bay, about 28 miles south of San Francisco. The suspected gunman was later arrested.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California created a GoFundMe page called the Monterey Park Lunar New Year Victims Fund to help the families affected by the shooting. Within a day, it had raised almost $350,000 toward its $500,000 goal as the community rallied around the victims.

On Tuesday, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles confirmed three of the victims were Taiwanese Americans, and said it was assisting the family of one of the victims, as they live in Taiwan and will be coming to Los Angeles. Additionally, the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles reported that a Chinese citizen was killed in the shooting.

Xiujuan Yu

Yu was a mother of three who worked hard to give her daughters a bright future, her niece, Kathleen Fong, wrote in a GoFundMe to raise money for her aunt's funeral.

"Having immigrated to the United States in the early 2010s, she and her family have done their best to make a life for themselves here, leaving their past lives behind in China to craft a new future for their little family," Fong wrote, noting two of Yu's children are currently attending college.

"My aunt was in the middle of crafting that future with her husband and children, and now to have that journey suddenly interrupted is heartbreaking. She will never be able to witness what she dreamed of for all these years."

As of mid-day Tuesday, the fundraiser had received $9,000 toward its $30,000 goal.

"Personally, this still doesn't feel real," Fong wrote. "It happened all too quickly — we never even got a chance to properly say goodbye."

Diana Man Ling Tom

Tom was a grandmother who worked hard and loved dancing, her family said in a GoFundMe for her funeral expenses. She was also the only victim who died later at a hospital, rather than at the scene, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"To those who knew her, she was someone who always went out of her way to give to others," her family said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the fundraiser had received about $1,600 in donations toward its $10,000 goal.

Valentino Marcos Alvero

Alvero’s family described him as a devout Catholic and a man who lived life with joy and gusto.

“He loved ballroom dancing, he loved his community, and was the life of any party,” they said in a prepared statement.

“We wish could let him he know that we will all miss him for the rest of our days on this earth. We hope that he danced to his heart's content until the very end and hope that he is now dancing in heaven.”

Alvero fiercely loved his three granddaughters, as well as his nieces and nephews, his family said. They asked priests and Catholics to pray for him by name, noting he was not able to receive last rites.

“Overnight, we became unwilling members of a community who has to mourn the loss of our loved ones due to gun violence,” the family said. “We are left frustrated, stuck with this vicious cycle.

“Most importantly, please remember that Valentino is more than just a headline or a news story.”

In a prepared statement Monday, the Philippine Consulate General of Los Angeles said Alvero was a U.S. citizen of Filipino descent and offered assistance to his family.

Hongying Jian

Hong Jian and her husband Jeff Liu, 62, shared almost everything, including their love of ballroom dance, their daughter, Juno Blees, told the New York Times. Jian also went by Nancy, according to NBC News.

The couple had been dancing when shots rang out, which Liu initially thought were fireworks, NBC News reported. Liu was struck in the shoulder by a bullet and his wife fell to the ground, he told the outlet.

In addition to dancing, Jian loved to sing and play volleyball, according to NBC News. The couple moved to Southern California over 20 years ago from China, the Times reported.

Ming Wei Ma

Witnesses told KCAL that Ming Wei Ma, the owner of the studio where the attack occurred, died as he tried to stop the shooter.

"He was an extremely respected, very beloved, very caring teacher, instructor, extremely kind human being, and he's very much missed by everyone in the Star Dance community," friend Eric Chen told FOX 11.

Chen told ABC 7 that Ma had been teaching dance for two decades and was "respected in the dance community.”

Ma had two children, according to a GoFundMe for his funeral expenses.

Mymy Nahn

Nahn loved to dance and had frequented the studio in Monterey Park for years, her family said Monday in a statement.

"But unfairly, Saturday was her last dance," they said. "We are starting the Lunar New Year broken. We never imagined her life would end so suddenly.”

Her niece, Fonda Quan said that Nahn had left the Star Ballroom and was backing her car out when she was shot. Quan said a dance partner who was in the car with her was not injured.

Nhan was a regular at both of the dance halls targeted by the shooter. The spots were popular places for older Asian Americans to socialize. It was where Nhan chose to celebrate the new year, which came three weeks after the passing of her mother.

Known for her warm smile and contagious kindness, Nahn was a loving aunt, sister, daughter and friend, her family said.

She immigrated from Vietnam in the 1980s and ended up making the San Gabriel Valley her home, living in the community of Rosemead.

A GoFundMe for Nahn's funeral expenses had received nearly $23,000 in donations as of Tuesday afternoon.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this story.