Suspect in Laguna Woods church shooting charged with murder, attempted murder
The suspect accused of opening fire inside a Laguna Woods church, killing one man and wounding five others, has been charged with 10 felony counts, including murder and attempted murder.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced in a news conference Tuesday that 68-year-old David Chou of Las Vegas was charged with one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
The murder charge includes enhancements of lying in wait and the personal use of a firearm.
Chou was also charged with four counts of possession of destructive devices with the intent to kill or to harm.
If convicted as charged, he could be eligible to face the death penalty, Spitzer said. He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon.
"The lying in wait with the personal use of a firearm makes this case alone, without more, life without the possibility of parole -- assuming we can prove all the charges, and the jury finds that the enhancements are true -- or death," Spitzer said.
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 Chou had a "grievance" with the "Taiwanese community at large."
The Sheriff's Department said that while Chou was originally described as a "U.S. Citizen who emigrated from China," the suspect later said that he was born and raised in Taiwan.
Barnes said the man who was killed, 52-year-old Dr. John Cheng, heroically charged at 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.
"He bought himself time to make these people feel comfortable with him, and they were so comfortable at some point -- and a lot of us have really struggled with this -- and I've had this question and I've struggled with it to: how was it that they didn't notice that he was putting chains on the doors and locking the doors?" Spitzer asked.
The FBI is investigating whether federal hate crime charges will be filed as well.
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.
Cheng leaves behind a wife and two children.
