LAGUNA WOODS, California – Gathered to celebrate a loved one former pastor, photography of their Sunday church meal, members of The Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church did not notice. first68-year- old stranger in them among.
He had been there before, the male administrator assured. But only later, when he opened fire with one of his two semi-automatic pistols that church attends, most of they are pensioners, took notification. Only then, scattering in terror did they know that the doors of the multi-purpose facility on the Southern California suburb campus where they met were chained, nailed and super-glued shut.
Monday, the day after attack who killed one one person and five others were injured, the authorities announced murder and tried murder accusations against David Chow, Las Vegas resident with wife and child in Taiwan who traveled to Orange County with resentment against Taiwanese people. AT news At the conference, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes called the mass shooting a “politically motivated hate incident.”
Shooting, nation second in two days considered a hate crime came as authorities in The Buffalo were investigating a supermarket massacre that killed 10 people; suspect in New York white teenager who broadcast the attack, the accused of passing through the state kill Black people.
Sheriff Barnes said that Mr. Zhou apparently acted alone in setting up an elaborate trap, even though it wasn’t clear why did he choose this out-of-the-way the church as a target. He said the investigators found notes in Mr Chow car that was parked outside church that were proof of his “hatred of Taiwanese people”.
BUT small the congregation that never had its own buildingIrvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church is basically a congregation of older Christian immigrants who worship weekly in Taiwanese, their first language. They meet on Sundays on campus of large Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, a suburb dominated by indoor community for residents aged 55 and over.
Sheriff said Mr. Chou who emigrated to the United States and is an American citizen, lived alone in rented a room and appeared to have no connection to the congregation.
Authorities said the shooting began around 1:26 p.m. local time. on Sunday. The congregation said they were celebrating their return from Taiwan. of a former pastor, Rev. Billy Chang, with dinner and gathered after the morning service in multifunctional building of the church.
Majority of the victims came from Taiwan and were located in ages 66 to 92, Sheriff Barnes said. Four were seriously injured, but their condition improved on On Monday, the authorities said. FBI claims to have uncovered federal hatred crime shooting investigation.
The authorities and witnesses stated that one a member of the church charged the shooter with apparently shooting at random with two firearms he bought legally.
John Cheng, 52 of Laguna Niguel, and sports physician and co-founder of According to Sheriff Barnes, a member of the nearby South Coast Medical Group was shot and killed after he grabbed the shooter and tried to disarm him. Mr. Cheng’s intervention, he added allowed a visiting pastor – who led the service that day throw a chair on the shooter while others helped hold him down by confiscating two weapons and tying him up with extension cords.
“If not for their fast action way that this person set up that environment to kill many more people would be many, many more lost lives,” the sheriff said.
Jonna Gherardini, Medical Center director, said that Dr. Cheng, who was not a member of the church up his mother from her home in the village of Laguna Woods and took her to church on Sunday. lifted in Texas, the doctor was not religious and did not have strong political views on China, but was there in solidarity with his mother, who lamented the recent death of his father she said.
Dr. Cheng, who is an survived his wife and two teenage children also Experienced martial arts instructor.
“He was here for a reason”, said Ms. Gherardini.
The shooter blocked the doors of the church with chains and tried to turn off the locks with glue, Sheriff Barnes said, adding that he also tried to nail one of in the buildingdoor shut. Bags are full with magazines of ammunition, as well as several incendiary devices, were found on on the church grounds, the sheriff said.
The sheriff said that Mr. Zhou lived in United States for many years, but also lived in Taiwan at some point. “I believe that his hatred of Taiwan emerged when he lived there in previous years maybe in his youth,” said Sheriff Barnes. “He wasn’t well received when he lived there, according to what we think we’ve gathered so far.”
Not clear when Zhou lived in Taiwan. About 70 years ago one a million or so Chinese retreated there with Nationalists during the Chinese Civil War against communists. They ran into residents on Island who was there for centuries, many of who spoke in a different language. In recent decades, some mainland Chinese also moved to Taiwan work and study.
sheriff also referred to “tensions between China and Taiwan, which current”. Beijing has long claimed Taiwan, a self-governing democratic island, as its territory and has threatened to swallow it up. using force if he deems it necessary.
Sam Huang, member of Taiwanese community in Laguna Woods, however, said the diverse area’s well-established Chinese and Taiwanese communities showed little tension. he is a member of congregation but did not attend church on Sunday.
“Usually we try to be friendly,” Mr. Huang said, adding that he sometimes played table tennis or participated in in line dances on community center together with other residents of China. He added: “None says you’re Chinese and I’m Taiwanese, so we won’t play with you.”
Wei-Ming Tao, 67 years old, retired. in Laguna Woods confirmed that these in in community in general tried to steer clear of politics of any in conversations. But she added what a merger of coronavirus, i. rise in racist acts against people of Asian Origins and the Russian War in Ukraine has created a boiling environment it was inevitable even in normal peaceful harbor.
“We are not need this kind of political agenda,” Ms. Tao said. “Hate crimes, we’ve had enough, we don’t need Any more”.
AT series of text messages on Sunday, Rev. Albany Lee, Church current pastor, said the congregation told him that Mr. Chang and several others men pinned the shooter to the ground, ‘fore he loaded another round of bullets, thank God.
The shooting served as another reminder that religious shrines are not immune from gun the violence that happened in almost every public spacegroceries stores to schools. Just 70 miles southeast of Laguna Woods, male in 2019 killed one woman and three wounded people in the synagogue in Poway, the shooting incident that sparked the hatred crime.
Meanwhile, the sheriff called the shooting an example of “the ugliest part” of division raging across the country. “At some point we have to put aside our differences,” he said, “and focus on on our humanity”.
Christopher Mehle, Vimal Patel and Amy Chan Chien made a report.
