Monterey Park sends message of support to another city hit hard by mass shooting

The Monterey Park City Council sent another public letter in solidarity with another American community crushed by a mass shooting.

This time, the council’s message was directed to Winder, Georgia, where on Wednesday, Sept. 4, a 14-year-old student fatally shot two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School just outside Atlanta with a semiautomatic assault rifle. The boy, Colt Gray, was charged Friday in the shooting, as was his father, Colin Gray, who prosecutors say let his son have the gun.

“The Monterey Park City Council is deeply saddened to learn of the tragic shooting that occurred on September 4, 2024 at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Our hearts go out to the students, families, and staff of Apalachee High School and the Winder community affected by this senseless act of violence,” the council’s message this week read.

“Please know that the entire City of Monterey Park community stands with Apalachee and Winder during this difficult time. We offer our deepest condolences and unwavering support to all those affected by this terrible act of violence. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families as they cope with this immense loss.”

On January 21, 2023, a gunman, Huu Can Tran, 72, entered the Star Ballroom dance studio on Garvey Avenue and opened fire with a Cobray semi-automatic pistol. The killing of 11 people that day sent shockwaves through the San Gabriel Valley’s predominantly Asian community, turning what should have been a festive Lunar New Year celebration into a heartbreak.

Since then, the council has been outspoken about reducing gun violence, supporting what it calls “common sense” gun safety legislation, such as bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, universal background checks and red flag laws.

She urged other cities, counties, states and federal agencies to do the same.

Meanwhile, in its own grief, the city of Monterey Park has sent messages of support to other cities facing similar gun violence.

They included one in April 2023 in Louisville, Kent, where a gunman entered the Old National Bank with an AR-15-style rifle and opened fire, killing four people and injuring several others, including a police officer who was seriously injured.

In the wake of the mass shooting at a Tennessee private school on March 27 — where three children and three adults were shot and killed — the board issued a similar statement.

The Apalachee High School shooting is the 30th mass shooting in the country this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

At least 131 people have died this year in such killings, defined as incidents in which four or more people die within a 24-hour period, not including the killer — the same definition used by the FBI.

Last year ended with 217 deaths from 42 mass shootings in the United States, making 2023 one of the deadliest years on record.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Originally published: September 6, 2024 at 5:10 p.m.