Brandon Tsay, the San Marino man who while working at his family’s Alhambra dance studio disarmed the man who minutes before opened fire in a Monterey Park dance studio killing 11, was honored in Sacramento as a hero on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Tsay was honored as State Sen. Susan Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, adjourned in a state Senate session in remembrance of the 11 victims.
“Our hearts will always ache for those we lost in Monterey Park,” Rubio said in a statement. “Though our community has been deeply affected, we remain resilient in the aftermath of this tragedy. I am deeply grateful to Brandon Tsay who risked his life and tackled the gunman to prevent even more devastation. He is a hero to our state, to the nation, and to us all.”
Tsay, too, spoke of the victims — people who came to the very Alhambra studio — Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio –he and his family run.
“The situation still feels so surreal to me,” he said in a statement provided by Rubio’s office. “Most of the victims I knew personally. They’d always come by the dance studio and I considered them friends. They were some of the most caring people I have ever met.”
On Feb. 7, Tsay attended the State of the Union address, at the invitation of President Joe Biden, and has met with not just the president but Gov. Gavin Newsom and local leaders.
He has said his goal is to promote more compassion among people, as the community heals.
