What We Know About the Gun Used in the Monterey Park Shooting
The semi-automatic Cobray pistol recovered in the Monterey Park, Calif., shooting, was modified with what appears to be a homemade suppressor. The gun is a subcompact variation of a MAC-10 pistol.
Gun recovered in Monterey Park shooting
An annotated image of a semi-automatic Cobray pistol linked to a mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif. A close-up of a suppressor attached to the pistol shows wire and duct tape wrapped around it.
The suppressor had
many characteristics of
a homemade device.
An adapter attached to the pistol’s threaded barrel held the suppressor in place.
The combined length of the pistol and the suppressor was over two feet.
Experts believe the shooter may have wrapped tape around the suppressor to act as a heat shield so he could hold it while firing.
Wire was used to secure the suppressor cover and to attach a carrying strap to the front and rear of the pistol.
An adapter attached to the pistol’s threaded barrel held the suppressor in place.
The suppressor had many characteristics of a homemade device.
The combined length of the pistol and the suppressor was over two feet.
Experts believe the shooter may have wrapped tape around the suppressor to act as a heat shield so he could hold it while firing.
Wire was used to secure the suppressor cover and to attach a carrying strap to the front and rear of the pistol.
The suppressor had many characteristics of a homemade device.
An adapter attached to the pistol’s threaded barrel held the suppressor in place.
The combined length of the pistol and the suppressor was over two feet.
Experts believe the shooter may have wrapped tape around the suppressor to act as a heat shield so he could hold it while firing.
Wire was used to secure the suppressor cover and to attach a carrying strap to the front and rear of the pistol.
The suppressor had many characteristics of a homemade device.
The combined length of the pistol and the suppressor was over two feet.
Wire was used to secure the suppressor cover and to attach a carrying strap to the front and rear of the pistol.
Experts believe the shooter may have wrapped tape around the suppressor to act as a heat shield so he could hold it while firing.
Diagram by The New York Times; photo by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
A suppressor, by design, muffles the sound of a gunshot by redirecting and slowing expelled gases from the barrel after the gun has fired. Plans exist online for how to make suppressors out of readily available parts like car oil filters.
Scott Richardson, a licensed firearm dealer in Oregon who manufactures and repairs suppressors, said the suppressor attached to the gunman’s pistol looked homemade. “The original MAC-10 and Cobray suppressors looked nothing like that,” he said.
The Cobray model firearm was manufactured in the 1970s and 1980s. It has several features that make it an illegal assault weapon in California, including the combination of a threaded barrel and the ability to accept a detachable magazine.
“They are not very accurate, and a bit heavy,” said Edward Gardner, the executive director of the Liberal Gun Club.
A variation of a MAC-10 pistol
Before the suppressor was added, the gunman’s weapon was similar to the pistol shown here.
An annotated photo of a pistol showing a threaded barrel for attaching accessories, and a large-capacity magazine.
The Cobray M-11/9 has a threaded barrel for attaching accessories such as barrel extenders, suppressors and forward hand grips.
With the ability to hold 30 rounds or more, the pistol’s original large-capacity magazine extends well below the pistol’s grip.
The Cobray M-11/9 has a threaded barrel for attaching accessories such as barrel extenders, suppressors and forward hand grips.
With the ability to hold 30 rounds or more, the pistol’s original large-capacity magazine extends well below the pistol’s grip.
The Cobray M-11/9 has a threaded barrel for attaching accessories such as barrel extenders, suppressors and forward hand grips.
With the ability to hold 30 rounds or more, the pistol’s original large-capacity magazine extends well below the pistol’s grip.
Diagram by The New York Times; photo via gunbroker.com
Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County said that the gunman purchased the pistol in 1999 in Monterey Park but that the gun was not registered in the state of California. Investigators who searched the suspect’s home found hundreds of rounds of ammunition and items that suggested he was manufacturing homemade firearm suppressors, Mr. Luna said. Forty-two shell casings and a large-capacity magazine were recovered at the scene.
Improbably, the homemade suppressor may have played a role in preventing further violence. After opening fire at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park on Saturday night, the gunman traveled to another dance studio in nearby Alhambra. There, Brandon Tsay, whose family operates the second ballroom, was able to wrestle the weapon away from the gunman.
Surveillance footage of the encounter shows the gun in context, and how large the suppressor was compared with the body of the gun and the gunman.
Images from surveillance footage show a struggle over a weapon.
After weapon is wrestled from gunman
Video footage, via Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio
“One aspect of using such a long suppressor is that it seems to me like the other guy was able to use the suppressor against the attacker,” said Mr. Richardson, who reviewed the surveillance footage. “More length equals more leverage when grabbing the gun. He is able to push the barrel up and away from himself.”
Law enforcement officials recovered two other firearms in connection with the attack, one rifle from the suspect’s residence and one pistol from his vehicle. Both were registered to the suspect. Police said the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound using the pistol.
Two photos show weapons that officials said were registered to the shooting suspect: a handgun atop cardboard and a rifle in a case.
The semi-automatic Norinco pistol recovered from the suspect’s van.
The Savage Arms .308 caliber bolt-action rifle recovered from the suspect’s residence.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Mr. Luna said that the suspect had been arrested in 1990 for unlawful possession of a firearm, but it was unclear what weapons were involved in that case.
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