Consulate shooter ex-judge: reports

The suspect in a shooting outside the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles used to be a judge before he immigrated to the US, but his motives remain unclear.

Police have put a security hold on the case and are not releasing any information to the public. "Once we transferred the case to the DA, it's up to the DA to release information," an LAPD spokesman told China Daily over the phone on Thursday.

The incident happened about 6 am Tuesday when the man opened fire at the consulate building and then shot himself dead. The building sustained numerous rounds, but no one other than the gunman was injured.

According to local media reports, the man, Larry Xin Zhang, 62, was a resident of San Gabriel, a neighborhood popular among Chinese in the greater Los Angeles area. Neighbors said he worked as a Chinese language teacher and had been living by himself in a rented house for over a year.

The neighbors said Zhang did not speak much English and could have had difficulties in life due to his inadequate language skills, according to some media reports.

Zhang had a son who lived in Las Vegas and a girlfriend named Helen, a resident of Temple City, California, according to a Thursday report in World Journal, a Chinese-language newspaper.

Helen told World Journal that Zhang had been a judge before he immigrated to the US as "an individual with extraordinary ability and achievement" 20 years ago. He had become a naturalized US citizen.

"He was not isolated or down and out like what media said; he was optimistic, outgoing and had good taste," said the report citing Helen.

"He shot at the consulate because of some reasons that can't be talked about," she said, declining to explain further.

Six years ago, the same consulate experienced a similar shooting incident when a man fired nine shots at a security guard outside the consulate building, but he hit only the building.

In response to a question about the shooting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Thursday that China attached great importance to the incident and had made solemn representations to the US side.

China has asked the US to investigate the shooting promptly, calling for necessary actions to be taken immediately to ensure the safety and security of the compound and consulate personnel.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com