NORWALK, Calif., Oct. 22 -- Authorities say a 21-year-old man shot and killed his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend in front of horrified students on her Southern California high school campus before turning the gun on himself. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies say they believe Robert Dang of Lakewood pulled a pistol out of his backpack and shot Catherine Theresa Tran several times in the head.
He then put the gun to his own head in an apparent murder-suicide today on the campus of John Glenn High School in Norwalk. Tran was pronounced dead at the scene. Dang died at Coast Plaza Medical Center in Norwalk about 1 1/2 hours later. Some students said they thought Dang may have been distraught over the couple's break-up. A friend of Tran's said she had complained that her ex-boyfriend had hit her, and another student said he saw the two arguing moments before the shooting. Dang was described as an 'over-achiever' who had opened his own business. Dozens of frightened parents rushed to the school to make sure their children were safe, and some took their children home for the day. Counselors also were called in to help students who witnessed the shooting. ---
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