Monterey Park Victim Ming Wei Ma Was an excellent dance instructor, manager and co-owner of the Star Ballroom Dance Studio. The 72-year-old victim was also a doting Father.
A mass shooting occurred on January 21, 2023, in Monterey Park, California. While eleven individuals were killed, nine were injured.
After a daylong Lunar New Year Festival was conducted nearby, the shooting occurred at Star Ballroom Dance Studio at around 10:22 pm PST (UTC-8) that evening.
The preparatory was identified as a man in his early 70s, Huu Can Tran. During a confrontation with Torrance Police the following day, he passed away from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In the history of Los Angeles County, it is the deadliest mass shooting. Ming Wei Ma was one of the victims of the tragic incident.
Monterey Park Victim: Ming Wei Ma Was A Dance Instructor At Star Dance Studio
Ming Wei Ma’s contribution to the community’s cultural life made him a beloved member.
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The 72-year-old victim was a dance instructor, co-owner, and manager at the Star Dance studio. People around Mr. Ma described him as the heart and soul of Star Ballroom Dance Studio.
Ming Wei Ma with instructor nancy Mei at Star Dance Studio illustrating a class pose. (Source: Pasadena Star-News)
The co-owner of the dance studio, Daniel Buhala, described Ming Wei Ma as an excellent dance instructor. As per Buhala, the late victim of the mass shooting was always considerate of people around him and took great care of them.
The Star Ballroom reportedly has a huge dance floor. Thus, it frequently became the venue to host parties and other social events.
A pastor and educator in San Gabriel, Eric Chen, said that the studio massacre was shocking as it had always been where everyone felt comfortable. Chen – who had known Mr. Ma since late 2021 – said he was kind and always showed a lot of respect to everyone.
While expressing how heartbroken she is, Monterey Park council member Yvonne Yiu said the 72-year-old victim was her longtime dance instructor.
With heavy emotion, the council member said she would sing and dance with her teacher in heaven one day.
Ming Wei Ma Had A Passion for Dancing And Singing
Ming Wei Ma attended the South China University of Science and Technology and studied engineering.
But his friend Shuhai Peng revealed that his true love was dance and singing. Moreover, the Monterey Park victim was also the Leader of a WeChat community for Chinese singers with over 400 members.
Peng also noted that Mr. Ma occasionally organized dancing and singing activities.
Ma could frequently be found at the Star Dance Studio, which is now closed in light of the tragic tragedy, teaching, hosting events, or just hanging out with friends.
Ming Wei Ma’s children, Ray and Mary, launched an official GoFundMe on Monday, January 23, for the funeral expenses for Ma. Within the first eight hours of posting, it had raised more than its $30,000 fundraising target.
They closed the donation by Tuesday after reaching $45K. Mr. Ma’s family would be traveling from China to attend his funeral.
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Monterey Park Other Victims
As mentioned above, eleven people died, and nine were injured in the Monterey Park mass shooting. The coroner’s office released a complete list of the victims on Tuesday. Here is the list of victims.
- Valentino Marcos Alvero, 68
- Hongying “Nancy Liu” Jian, 62
- Yu Lun “Andy” Kao, 72
- Lilian Li, 63
- Ming Wei Ma, 72
- My “Mymy” Nhan, 65
- Diana Man Ling Tom, 70
- Muoi Dai Ung, 67
- Chia Ling Yau, 76
- Wen Tau Yu, 64
- Xiujuan Yu, 57