MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (CNS) - The gunman responsible for killing 10 people and injuring 10 others during a weekend shooting rampage in Monterey Park had been a regular patron at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, where the massacre occurred, his ex-wife told CNN Monday.
Huu Can Tran's ex-wife, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the case, told CNN she met Tran about 20 years ago at Star Ballroom, where he gave informal lessons. She said Tran met her one day at the ballroom, where he introduced himself and offered her free lessons. The two later married.
Tran was known to have anger issues, according to his ex-wife. But she said he never became physically violent toward her.
She told CNN that if she would miss a step while dancing, Tran would get upset because he felt it made him look bad.
Tran filed for divorce in 2005, which was finalized the following year, CNN reported.
According to the network, the couple's marriage license showed that Tran came to the United States from China.
It was unclear how frequently Tran visited the dance hall, if at all, in recent years.
Another longtime acquaintance of Tran, who also asked to remain anonymous, told CNN he lived near Tran in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and Tran would make the roughly five-minute drive from his home in San Gabriel to Star Ballroom Dance Studio almost every night.
Tran often complained that the instructors at the dance hall said "evil things about him," the friend remembered, adding Tran was "hostile to a lot of people there" because he didn't believe he was liked. The friend told CNN that he has not seen Tran in several years and was "totally shocked" when he heard about the ballroom shooting
"I know lots of people, and if they go to Star studio, they frequent there," he said.
He also said he was "worried maybe I know some of" the victims.
