A Las Vegas man whom authorities say opened fire on a Taiwanese congregation at a church in Southern California on Sunday – killing one person and injuring five others before the pastor and parishioners beat and beat him – was motivated by hatred, he said. the sheriff of Orange County. Monday.
The suspect, 68-year-old David Chow, a US citizen who emigrated from China, was charged with murder and five counts of attempted murder for what Don Barnes, the sheriff, described at a news conference Monday as a “politically motivated hate incident” from complaints against the Taiwanese community.
The shooting took place at about 1:26 p.m. local time Sunday at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California, about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles in a diverse community made up mostly of retirees. It has a well-established Asian population.
Most of the victims were of Taiwanese descent and ranged in age from 66 to 92, Sheriff Barnes said. Four of the victims were seriously injured, but their condition improved on Monday, authorities said. The FBI says a federal investigation into hate crimes began on Monday.
John Cheng, 52, was shot and killed after dealing with the shooter and trying to disarm him, Sheriff Barnes said. Mr Cheng’s intervention allowed the pastor in the church to throw a chair at the shooter while others detained him, he said.
“Without Dr. Cheng’s actions, there is no doubt that there will be many additional victims in this crime,” said Sheriff Barnes.
Bags full of ammunition stores and several incendiary devices were found inside the church, Sheriff Barnes said.
The gunman secured the church doors with chains and tried to deactivate the locks with glue, the sheriff said, adding that he also tried to close one of the building’s doors.
“Most of those present were elderly and acted spontaneously and heroically,” said Sheriff Barnes. “And if it weren’t for their quick action, the way this man created this environment to kill many more people would have had many, many more lives lost.
Authorities said the suspect shot inside the church while members were having lunch after a morning service. Visitors tied the shooter with an extension cord and confiscated two weapons before lawmakers arrived and took him into custody, Sheriff Barnes said.
“This group of church people showed what we consider to be exceptional heroism and courage by intervening, interfering to stop the suspects,” Deputy Sheriff Jeff Halok told a news conference on Sunday. “They undoubtedly prevented further injuries and deaths.”
Sheriff Barnes said investigators found notes in Mr. Chow’s car, which was parked in front of the church, as evidence of his “hatred of the Taiwanese people.”
The shooting came at a dangerous time in a decades-long stalemate between China and Taiwan. China has been claiming Taiwan since the island separated from the mainland in 1949 and threatening to forcibly unite the two. Beijing has signaled its threat to Taiwan in a threatening way, sending military planes around the island almost every day last fall.
Most recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine convinced authorities in Washington and Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, that the Chinese invasion of Taiwan in the coming years was a potential threat.
Authorities said they interviewed more than 30 people who were at the church at the time of the shooting. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said on Twitter that it was helping with the investigation.
In a series of text messages Sunday, the Rev. Albany Lee, who chairs the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Irvine, which is housed on the Geneva Presbyterian Church campus, said his brethren told him the shooter “is a new face.” ”
“No one recognizes the shooter,” Mr Lee said, adding that when the receptionist asked the shooter who he was, “he said he had been here before.”
Mr Lee said the man who subdued the shooter was a pastor who led Sunday services.
This pastor, who was not wounded, “subdued the shooter before loading another cartridge,” he said. “Thank God,” he added.
Cynthia Connors, mayor of Laguna Woods, said she had been a member of the church since 2006 and attended services Sunday morning. Ms. Connors, who left the church around noon, said the Taiwanese congregation shared the church space.
The church is in a quiet retirement community in a safe neighborhood, said Charlotte Hsie, the organist of the church. “I couldn’t even imagine that something like this could happen here,” she said. “I’m just as shocked as anyone.”
Lisa Bartlett, head of Orange County, told a news conference on Sunday that “today is a very dark day.”
She noted that the shooting in the church came just a day after “the tragic and hateful actions that led to the senseless death” in Buffalo, where almost all of the 10 people who were shot and killed were black.
Representative Katie Porter, a Democratic member of Congress representing Orange County, described the news as disturbing, especially given the Buffalo shooting. “This should not be our new norm,” she said.
The report was provided by Jill Cowan, Sean Hubler, Christopher Mele, Vimal Patel, Amy Chang Chien and Livia Albeck-Ripka.
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