The gunman in the deadly attack at a California church was a Chinese immigrant motivated by a hatred for Taiwan, authorities revealed today.
The Orange County Sheriff broke the news on Twitter:
“The suspect in the Laguna Woods church shooting has been identified as David Chou, 68 years old, of Las Vegas, NV.
“He has been booked on one felony count of murder and five felony counts of attempted murder.
“More info to follow at today’s press conference.
“This has been a sad day for the community.
“We will provide additional updates on the investigation tomorrow.
“We are committed to fully investigating and sharing as much information as possible while maintaining the integrity of the investigation.”
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said at a press conference today:
“This was a politically motivated hate incident, a grievance that this individual had between himself and the Taiwanese community.
“It is believed the suspect was upset about political tensions between China and Taiwan.”
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities: Gunman in deadly attack at California church was Chinese immigrant motivated by hate for Taiwanese.
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) May 16, 2022
#OCSDPIO The suspect in the Laguna Woods church shooting has been identified as David Chou, 68 years old, of Las Vegas, NV. He has been booked on one felony count of murder and five felony counts of attempted murder. More info to follow at todays press conference.
— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) May 16, 2022
OC Sheriff arrests man suspected in Laguna Woods church shooting. Read the full release below. pic.twitter.com/rOPAxRQ3bt
— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) May 16, 2022
According to the Denver Post, “Barnes said the suspect drove to the Orange County church, where he was not a regular attendee, secured the doors, and started shooting.
“The gunman had placed 4 Molotov cocktail-like devices inside the church, the sheriff said.”
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said of the victim:
“Understanding that there was elderly everywhere and they couldn’t get out of the premises because the doors had been chained, he took it upon himself to charge across the room and to do everything he could to disable the assailant.”
“The suspect had an absolute bias against the Taiwanese people, its country, as a Chinese or mainland national,” Spitzer added.
“I will tell you that evil was in that church yesterday.”
