A man who opened fire on Taiwanese-American churchgoers in California, killing one person and injuring 5 others, was motivated by hatred towards Taiwan and its people, US investigators said on Monday (May 16, 2022).
Before opening fire, the gunman closed the church doors using chains and glue as dozens of people enjoyed an after-service feast at the church in Laguna Woods, near Los Angeles, last Sunday (May 15). Armed with two pistols, the man also hid bags containing Molotov cocktails and ammunition around the building.
According to Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, the shooter is a 68-year-old American citizen who emigrated from China and was moved by “politically motivated hate” and “was upset by political tensions between China and Taiwan”.
Barnes said the man, who worked for years as a security guard, apparently acted alone, and it was unclear why he targeted this particular church. The small Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church is mostly a congregation of older Christian immigrants who pray weekly in Taiwanese, their first language. They meet at the Geneva Presbyterian Church.
The sheriff said investigators found notes in the gunman’s car, which was parked outside the church, that prove his “hate the Taiwanese peoples”.
The man has lived in the United States for many years, but he also resided in Taiwan at some point, Barnes said. “I believe his hatred of Taiwan manifested itself when he resided there in years past, possibly in his youth.” said the sheriff. “He was not well received while living there, according to what we have gathered so far.”
Chou’s family was apparently among many who were forcibly moved from mainland China to Taiwan sometime after 1948, said Todd Spitzer, an Orange County district attorney.
Barnes said the man lived alone in a rented room in Las Vegas and appeared to have no ties to the congregation. The church said he had spent the morning service at the back of the shrine, quietly reading a Taiwanese newspaper.
The delicate relationship between China and Taiwan
The Taiwan issue is one of the most sensitive issues in the People’s Republic of China. Taiwan has been independently governed since the end of a civil war in 1949, with its own democratically elected government and a powerful army.
China, however, considers the island of Taiwan (or Formosa) to be part of its territory, in the form of a splinter province. If the island attempts its independence, it must be forcibly prevented, in the Chinese interpretation.
heroic act
In addition to information about the shooter, details were revealed on Monday about the heroism of a faithful man – 52-year-old doctor John Cheng. He attacked the sniper, allowing other worshipers to overpower him and tie him up with extension cords, but was eventually killed.
“Without the actions of Dr. Cheng, there is no doubt that there would have been numerous additional victims in this crime.,” Barnes said. “Unfortunately, after Dr. Cheng attacked the suspect, he was shot and pronounced dead at the scene.”
The 5 other people who were injured in the attack, aged between 66 and 92, were hospitalized. Most victims are of Taiwanese origin.
The FBI said it had opened a federal hate crimes investigation into the attack. Arrested on charges of murder and attempted murder, the shooter is expected to appear in court this Tuesday (May 17).
armed violence
The attack came 24 hours after another 18-year-old gunman killed 10 people at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket in what is being investigated as a racist attack.
Gun violence is shockingly common in the United States, where a powerful lobby of weapons acts to prevent control of their sale and distribution. Gunshots in public places are an almost daily occurrence in the country.
More than 45,000 Americans died from gunshot wounds — half by suicide — in 2021, up from just over 39,000 in 2019, according to the website. Gun Violence Archive.
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