Taiwan president condemns Laguna Woods shooting
The president of Taiwan has condemned the mass shooting at a Laguna Woods church Sunday afternoon which left a man dead and five others wounded.
"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," President Tsai Ing-wen tweeted Monday night. "Violence is never the answer."
The shooting occurred just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday during a luncheon for the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, which had followed a morning service. The event was being held at Geneva Presbyterian Church, located in the 24000 block of El Toro Road.
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes on Monday described the shooting as a "politically-motivated hate incident" in which the suspect, 68-year-old David Chou of Las Vegas, had a "grievance" with the "Taiwanese community at large."
Barnes said the man who was killed, 52-year-old Dr. John Cheng, heroically charged the suspect and tackled him, giving the rest of the parishioners' time to subdue the suspect and hogtie him. Most of the congregants were elderly, with Cheng one of the youngest in attendance at the banquet.
"Without the actions of Dr. Cheng, it is no doubt that there would be numerous additional victims in this crime," Barnes said Monday.
Authorities said Chou also placed four incendiary devices inside the church, similar to Molotov cocktails. Investigators also found bags that Chou brought to the church containing additional ammunition. He also tried to seal the exits using padlocks and superglue, authorities said.
Cheng leaves behind a wife and two children.
The five people wounded, four men and a woman, ranged in age from 66 to 92. Four were in critical condition and a fifth suffered minor injuries.