Perhaps no one’s life changed more in the year since the Monterey Park shooting spree than Brandon Tsay.
But while a tense few seconds assured his role in the world would never be the same, it took weeks and months of work for him — and others, behind the scenes — to solidify the status of “local hero” as the community emerged from the bloodshed.
“The journey has been quite chaotic, and to say the least, it’s been eventful,” said Tsay, the man who disarmed a mass shooter and likely prevented more slayings.
“I think that it’s been a 180（degree) change in my life where I’m usually not the center of attention,” Tsay said recently at a Community Remembrance Fair Event held at Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio. “but I’m now speaking out at several events and organizing my own programs, events like these, to really use my voice for good.”
Tsay wrestled a gun from Huu Can Tran on Jan 21, 2023, who had minutes earlier rampaged through the studio in Monterey Park and had walked into Lai Lai, which is run by Tsay’s family, with the intention to carry out another massacre.
Related: In year since Monterey Park mass shooting, California has passed a bevy of new gun laws
Overnight, the soft-spoken man became a national hero, the personal guest of President Joe Biden at the State of the Union, and a new face of hope in a nation struggling with how to deal with a relentless pattern of mass shootings.
He’s been the recipient of countless awards and honors, including a Medal of Courage from the Alhambra Police Department.
Tsay said he has been using his new found platform to help improve his community.
He has connected with several nonprofits and formed his program called Senior Safety and Health with the Asian Pacific Counseling & Treatment Centers. He has been speaking at different events to promote senior safety and health, as well as help older residents defend themselves with bystander training.
“I think I speak for everyone here when…
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