We're pausing our coverage of the tragic shooting which claimed 11 lives in Monterey Park, California, on Saturday night at a popular dance hall.

The names of four victims have emerged, but the killer's motive and relationship to the people who died is not yet known.

The mass shooting, just one of several in the US over the weekend, has ruined celebrations in the majority Asian-American city during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Our coverage was provided by Krystyna Gajda and George Wright in London; Sam Cabral in Washington DC and Max Matza in Seattle.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

If you're catching up on this news, here is a quick recap of what we know:

• A gunman shot 11 people dead at a popular dance studio in downtown Monterey Park, California on Saturday
• Nine others were wounded in the shooting, which was one of several shootings in the US over the weekend
• Police have identified the lone suspect as a 72-year-old man of Asian descent who used a pistol
• His motive for the attack is not yet known. Officials say he "fancied himself" a very good dancer and was a regular at the dance studio that he attacked
• Police in the city of Hemet, a two-hour drive from Monterey Park, say the suspect lived there and had approached them twice this month to allege "past fraud, theft and poisoning allegations involving his family in the Los Angeles area 10 to 20 years ago"

• Roughly half an hour after his first attack, he entered another dance studio in neighbouring Alhambra, but his firearm was wrestled away from him by 26-year-old Brandon Tsay before he could shoot anybody
• About 12 hours after the attack, the suspect killed himself inside a white van as police closed in on him
• The attacker had been arrested previously, in 1990, for unlawful possession of a firearm
• Evidence found in his home indicates that he had been making homemade silencers
• A high-calibre rifle was also recovered, as well as hundreds of rounds of ammunition
• Thousands of people had earlier gathered in the city of Monterey Park, which is about 65% Asian American, to participate in Lunar New Year festivities

The LA County sheriff has just ended his news conference after providing a few updates in the ongoing investigation.

The attacker's motive is not yet known he says.

"What drove a mad man to do this, we don't know. And we're as curious as you are," said Sheriff Robert Luna.

He confirmed that a 11th victim has died, and described what officers found when they searched the attacker's home on Sunday.

Along with boxes of ammunition, they discovered evidence that he was making homemade gun silencers.

Investigators say that 42 shell casings were found at the dancehall, indicating that 42 shots were fired in the attack.

Police also said one victim was found in a car outside the venue. It's unclear if that person was shot before the attacker entered the building.

The gun, which was identified as a Mac-10 semi-automatic pistol, had "modifications" done to it but police declined to divulge how it had been altered.

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna says investigators are still seeking a possible motive behind the shooting.

"We want to know as much as all of you," he says. "And we're working very hard to attain that."

He adds that investigators are looking into whether it was motivated by "jealousy or relationship issues" but adds that nothing has yet been confirmed.

Image source, Getty Images

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna is speaking now.

He begins by confirmed that "we did unfortunately have an 11th victim that passed away".

Luna goes on to say that a search of the suspect's house on Sunday night yielded several clues in the ongoing investigation.

A high-caliber rifle was found, as well as "items that lead us to believe the suspect was manufacturing homemade firearms suppressors".

Officials also found an unknown amount of ammunition. Luna says the number is unknown due to the sheer amount of ammo that has been recovered.

He adds that the man who wrestled the Mac-10 gun from the killer - Brandon Tsay - is a "hero" who saved many lives.

He says that the killer had only a "limited criminal history" which included a 1990 arrest for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Police have identified four of the victims so far, and have released rough ages for the other seven people killed on Saturday.

The names of My Nhan and Lilan Li were released earlier today. Police have now confirmed the identity of a third woman, Xiujuan Yu.

Valentino Alvero is the only male victim that police have identified at this point.

The other victims include two women in their 60's and one in her 70's; as well as three men in their 70's and one man in his 60's.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is expected to provide an update on the investigation into Saturday's attack at 15:00 local time (23:00 GMT).

Stay with us for the latest updates.

Police in the city of Hemet, California - 80 miles (130km) east of Monterey Park - say the attacker approached them earlier this month to file a report.

The suspect visited the Hemet Police Department on January 7 and 9, 2023, "alleging past fraud, theft, and poisoning allegations involving his family in the Los Angeles area 10 to 20 years ago," police said in a news release.

Tran stated he would come back to the station "with documentation regarding his allegations" but they added he never returned.

The suspect lived in Hemet and has had his home searched by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department - the lead agency investigating Saturday's attack.

Congresswoman Judy Chu says that the killer was a serious dancer and offered to give free lessons to people.

She said he divorced his wife in 2005 because he had been very critical of her dance moves.

Chu, the former mayor of Monterey Park, spoke to BBC News outside of a victim’s support centre set up at a group home for senior citizens.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from California

A small trickle of mourners came to pay their respects at the entrance of Star Dance Studio on Monday morning, some softly uttering their condolences as ever-present media helicopters buzzed overhead.

By mid-morning, several bouquets, candles, and other tributes had accumulated in front of a gate. One bundle of roses came with a note: “Victims and families, you are in our prayers.”

Jovita and Alfonso Matematico left whispered prayers for the victims. The married couple, both Catholics, had driven to Monterey Park from downtown Los Angeles to pay their respects.

“We went to church today, at eight o'clock, and we prayed for them - may they rest in peace,” said Jovita, 64.

Mako Seto, a 44-year-old Baptist pastor from neighboring Montebello, and his son, Jordan, came to the scene.

He had woken up on Sunday morning to a flurry of texts and news alerts about the shooting, and had to address his congregation at Evergreen Church soon after.

“People were sad, they were afraid,” he said. “A lot of our church members are from Monterey Park. They were shocked.”

“We’re mourning,” Seto said. “We never thought this would happen, in a million years.”

Image source, Getty Images

Two of the victims killed in the deadly shooting in California's Monterey Park have been identified by coroners.

Eleven people died in the shooting on Saturday, which also left nine people wounded at a dance studio.

The victims so far identified were women aged 63 and 65. The other victims include two women and five men, all in their 50s, 60s or 70s.

The suspected gunman was later found dead by police in a vehicle. Police have not revealed a motive.

Here's what we know about the victims.

Among the victims so far identified is My Nhan, a 65-year-old whose family members described her as a regular at the Monterey Park dance studio where the incident took place.

A family statement posted to Twitter by journalist Tiffany Liou - whose husband was Ms Nhan's nephew - said that her death is "still sinking in".

"She spent so many years going to the dance studio in Monterey Park on weekends," the statement said. "It's what she loved to do.

"But unfairly, Saturday was her last dance."

The other victim so far identified by the coroner's office was Lilan Li, 63. No further details about her were immediately available.

Read more here.

Scott Weise, Monterey Park police chief, is speaking now.

"We all want answers to questions we may never have answers to," he says.

"The 'why' is a big part of this," he says.

"The problem is we may never know the 'why'".

"We may have a fragmented why but we may never have the whole story," he says.

"Just because the suspect dies, it doesn't mean the investigation stops," he adds.

The press conference has now ended. There is a briefing with the sheriff in two hours and more updates on the shooting are expected.

Senator Alex Padilla says the shooting should be used as a reminder "of the epidemic of gun violence in America".

He calls for the more gun safety laws across the country.

He says the "patchwork of laws" across states can lead to "vulnerabilities" that "can impact any community".

"We cannot allow gun shootings be the norm," he concludes.

Congresswoman Judy Chu and Senator Alex Padilla are speaking first.

Stay tuned for updates.

The LAC+USC Medical Center in Los Angeles said the staff have "worked tirelessly to care for the four victims entrusted to our care".

"Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we are saddened to share that one of the victims has succumbed to their extensive injuries. We want to express our deepest sympathies to their families and loved ones."

This death toll for the mass shooting now stands at 11.

The death toll from the mass shooting in Monterey Park has risen to 11.

One of the people hospitalised after being shot has died from "extensive injuries", officials from LAC+USC Medical Center in Los Angeles said.

We're still waiting for the news conference to start - we are expecting Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, to be there along with Monterey Park Mayor Henry Lo.

We have already learned the identities of two of the victims, but we may now hear about the eight who have not been named.

We may also get some more information on the gunman's motive.

Stay tuned while we bring you updates.

The rampage in Monterey Park, California was the most deadly shooting incident to take place over the weekend, but there were several other tragic shootings across the country.

• A "targeted attack" at a nightclub in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Sunday left 12 people wounded, including three with life-threatening injuries
• Eight people were injured on Sunday after multiple gunmen were seen shooting into a home in Shreveport, also in Louisiana
• Four people were injured in a shooting outside a casino in Robinsonville, Mississippi early on Sunday
• Seven people were killed and at least 23 others were injured in weekend shootings across Chicago, according to police
• Four weekend shootings in the Brooklyn borough of New York City left three people dead and at least one other person injured