After the gun attack that killed eleven people near Los Angeles on Saturday evening, many questions remain unanswered: What was the motive of the 72-year-old perpetrator?

Was the Asian-born man mentally ill?

How did he get his hands on the extended-magazine semi-automatic pistol—a weapon banned in California?

But the most important message from investigators on Sunday evening was: There is no longer any danger to the residents of Monterey Park.

The attack on the dance club was 19 hours ago, and the perpetrator died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Sofia Dreisbach

North American political correspondent based in Washington.

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Actually, thousands should have celebrated the Asian Lunar New Year in Monterey Park during this time.

One of the largest festivals of this kind on the west coast traditionally takes place in the city, with two-thirds of its residents being of Asian descent.

But the gun attack brought the celebrations to a halt.

Instead, it was not clear for hours where the perpetrator was.

A mugshot shows an elderly man with a black and white patterned hat on his head.

The police finally identified him by name, and the broadcaster CNN, citing his former wife, reported that he had immigrated from China decades ago.

Further victims in a dance school were prevented by the operator

According to the police, the evening could have ended even worse.

After the man shot ten people in the "Star Ballroom" in Monterey Park shortly before half past ten, he drove a few kilometers further to the Alhambra.

There, however, he was overwhelmed in the anteroom of the "Lai Lai" dance club by Brandon Tsay, who runs the dance school with event rooms in the third generation.

The attempt to take the gun from the perpetrator was a "primal instinct," Tsay later told the New York Times.

You could see that "he was after people".

The victims are between 60 and 70 years old, according to police, but their identities have not yet been made public.

Twelve hours after the Monterey Park shooting, police located the white van in which the perpetrator fled.

After a shot was fired, a special task force approached the vehicle and finally determined the attacker's death.

Another weapon was found inside.

There is currently no evidence of the motive of the perpetrator.

His ex-wife said they met 20 years ago at the Star Ballroom dance club.

He was never violent towards her, but was easily irritable.

The couple filed for divorce in 2005.