Shooting at church in California motivated by hate of Taiwanese people
An Orange County Sheriff's Department K-9 unit checks the grounds at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, Calif. on Sunday after the fatal shooting. Photo: Damian Dovarganes / AP.
On Sunday, May 15 at 1:26p, gunfire was reported at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church (which shares a space with the Geneva Presbyterian Church) in Laguna Woods, California. The shooting left one person dead and five wounded, four of them with critical injuries. Those wounded were between the ages of 66 and 92. The alleged gunman, 68-year-old David Chou — who authorities say was born and raised in Taiwan — was motivated by his hate for Taiwanese people, which was documented in handwritten notes that authorities found. Chou was arrested and booked on recommended charges of one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder. He is being held on $1 million bail. Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes referred to the shooting as a “politically motivated hate incident” during a news conference. Police believe Chou acted alone and had no connection with the church or any of its members.
The alleged gunman, 68-year-old David Chou. Photo: Orange County Sherrif’s Department.
Authorities say Chou traveled from his home of Las Vegas to Laguna Woods, where he is accused of using chains to secure the doors and glue to disable the locks. Investigators found several rounds of ammunition, four Molotov cocktail-type incendiary devices, and two 9 mm semi-automatic pistols.
52-year-old Dr. John Cheng was killed in the shooting. Photo: The Epoch Times.
Dr. John Cheng, was a 52-year-old sports medicine doctor who was killed in Sunday's shooting and is being called a hero after he charged the gunman in an attempt to disarm him, which allowed other parishioners to intervene and hog-tie him with electrical cords.
“Dr. Cheng is a hero,” Sheriff Barnes said. “It is known that Dr. Cheng charged the individual, the suspect, attempted to disarm him, which allowed other parishioners to then intercede, taking the suspect into custody.” Barnes went on to say that Dr. Cheng’s actions likely saved the lives of upwards of dozens of people. Dr. Cheng is survived by his wife and two children.
Dr. Cheng’s co-workers said he was not actually a part of Geneva Presbyterian Church, but had taken his mother there for the first time since his father passed away a month ago.
"He was adamant that everybody should know how to defend themselves," said South Coast Medical Group Executive Director Johanna Gherardini. "I one hundred percent know exactly. When they had said that he gone across the room and charged him. I can see him doing that." Dr. Cheng was a co-founder of South Coast Medical Group.
Photo: Jae C. Hong / AP.
What breaks my heart is, of course the churchgoers welcomed him when he attended service, but the suspect even spoke Taiwanese to everyone. Then he chained all the exits shut from the outside before he started shooting during a photo opp.
— esther tseng 鄭怜欣 (@estarLA) May 16, 2022
(via @latimes)https://t.co/MVGhAwbtyx
Attacking a Presbyterian church is not random. The church has deep connections to the Taiwanese independence movement and the DPP. This was a clear targeting of pro-Taiwan individuals in the United States.
— Lev Nachman (@lnachman32) May 16, 2022
Labeling this as a hate crime is the correct decision. https://t.co/2E3Sfqb2eJ
“He was reportedly not a regular church attendee, but was accompanying his elderly mother to attend the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church. He leaves behind a wife and two children.” https://t.co/rPlQjGqL0j https://t.co/3BDwDzALwx
— William Yang (@WilliamYang120) May 17, 2022
I want to convey my sincere condolences on the death of Dr. John Cheng & my hopes for a prompt recovery for those injured in the shooting at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in California. Violence is never the answer.
— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) May 17, 2022
