Announcement

Collapse

Civics 101 Guidelines

Want to argue about politics? Healthcare reform? Taxes? Governments? You've come to the right place!

Try to keep it civil though. The rules still apply here.
See more
See less

Shooter At Church In California - 1 dead, 5 Seriously Injured; Gunman Detained

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Shooter At Church In California - 1 dead, 5 Seriously Injured; Gunman Detained

    A man of Asian descent in his 60s who isn't believed to be from the area, was detained as the shooter. Most of the victims were Taiwanese.

    https://apnews.com/article/religion-...f857838824a567
    A man who opened fire during a lunch reception at a Southern California church on Sunday was detained by parishioners, according to a sheriff’s official who called their intervention an act of “exceptional heroism and bravery.”

    One person was killed and four others were critically wounded in the afternoon shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church in the city of Laguna Woods, Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials said.

    The suspect in the shooting, an Asian man in his 60s, was in custody and deputies recovered two handguns at the scene, Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said. A motive for the shooting wasn’t immediately known but investigators don’t believe the gunman lives in the community, Hallock said.

    The majority of those inside the church at the time were believed to be of Taiwanese descent, said Carrie Braun, a sheriff’s spokesperson.

    Between 30 and 40 people were gathered for lunch after a morning church service when gunfire erupted shortly before 1:30 p.m., officials said. When deputies arrived, parishioners had the gunman hog-tied and in custody.

    “That group of churchgoers displayed what we believe is exceptional heroism and bravery in intervening to stop the suspect. They undoubtedly prevented additional injuries and fatalities,” Hallock said. “I think it’s safe to say that had people not intervened, it could have been much worse.”

    A man died at the scene and a fifth injured person suffered minor injuries, officials said. All the victims were adults.

    The lunch reception was honoring a former pastor of a Taiwanese congregation that has services at Geneva, according to a statement from the Presbytery of Los Ranchos, a church administrative body.

    “Please keep the leadership of the Taiwanese congregation and Geneva in your prayers as they care for the those traumatized by this shooting,” the presbytery’s Tom Cramer said in a statement on Facebook.

    Federal agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded. The FBI also agents to the scene to assist the sheriff.

    Laguna Woods was built as a senior living community and later became a city. More than 80% of residents in the city of 18,000 people about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles are at least 65.

    Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said on Twitter that he was closely monitoring the situation.

    “No one should have to fear going to their place of worship. Our thoughts are with the victims, community, and all those impacted by this tragic event,” the tweet said.

    The incident occurred in an area with a cluster of houses of worship, including Catholic, Lutheran and Methodist churches and a Jewish synagogue.

    On its website, Geneva Presbyterian Church describes its mission as “to remember, tell, and live the way of Jesus by being just, kind, and humble.”

    “All are welcome here. Really, we mean that! … Geneva aspires to be an inclusive congregation worshipping, learning, connecting, giving and serving together.”
    No info on his motives but I'm guessing either a deliberate targeting with personal history of some sort, or perhaps he's Chinese (given the victims are Taiwanese and he is Asian of some sort). Could also easily just be a crazy shooter like we've seen plenty of times in the past.

  • #2
    "Hallock added that the churchgoers detained the gunman by using an extension cord to hogtie him and confiscate the weapons."

    Tidbit from the Fox News article.

    Other than that bit, nothing beyond what Gond posted, but may be updated later.
    Geislerminian Antinomian Kenotic Charispneumaticostal Gender Mutualist-Egalitarian.

    Beige Federalist.

    Nationalist Christian.

    "Everybody is somebody's heretic."

    Social Justice is usually the opposite of actual justice.

    Proud member of the this space left blank community.

    Would-be Grand Vizier of the Padishah Maxi-Super-Ultra-Hyper-Mega-MAGA King Trumpius Rex.

    Justice for Ashli Babbitt!

    Justice for Matthew Perna!

    Arrest Ray Epps and his Fed bosses!

    Comment


    • #3
      All of the victims were elderly with the youngest being 75. No motive as of yet.

      I'm always still in trouble again

      "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
      "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
      "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Gondwanaland View Post
        A man of Asian descent in his 60s who isn't believed to be from the area, was detained as the shooter. Most of the victims were Taiwanese.

        https://apnews.com/article/religion-...f857838824a567

        No info on his motives but I'm guessing either a deliberate targeting with personal history of some sort, or perhaps he's Chinese (given the victims are Taiwanese and he is Asian of some sort). Could also easily just be a crazy shooter like we've seen plenty of times in the past.
        Well, as I suspected, the shooter was Chinese born US citizen and the attack was deliberately and politically targeted against the Taiwanese congregants because of his feelings about the PR China-Taiwan conflict

        https://www.thedailybeast.com/laguna...u-of-las-vegas
        The 68-year old Las Vegas man accused of shooting up a California church before he was tackled and hog-tied by congregants was “politically motivated,” police said Monday.

        David W. Chou, a Chinese-born U.S. citizen, was allegedly upset about political tensions between China and Taiwan when he attacked members of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church enjoying a lunch banquet for a former pastor.

        One person—Dr. John Chang of Laguna, a sports medicine doctor who tried to stop the gunman—was killed. Five others were wounded.
        Chou, who worked as a security guard in Vegas, was booked on one felony count of murder and five felony counts of attempted murder for the Sunday afternoon attack at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, where the Taiwanese church meets.

        The mass shooting came as the nation was still reeling from a racist rampage at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, that left 10 dead.

        Police have said Chou was carrying two handguns when he walked into the banquet.

        Yorba Linda Councilwoman Peggy Huang, who spoke to witnesses, told NBC Los Angeles that the suspect was a stranger to the crowd. He was holding newspapers and acting weird—then started locking the doors to the room before opening fire.

        The victims were mostly older, ranging in age from 66 to 92.

        The banquet was in honor of a former Irvine Taiwanese pastor who was returning to Taiwan and there were about 30 to 40 people present.

        Authorities said they believe more people would have been shot or killed if church members had not taken down the gunman. A pastor reportedly hit him on the head with a chair, and then others used an extension cord to wrap him up.

        That’s how police found Chou when they arrived on the scene within minutes.

        “It’s just amazing," Huang told NBC. “You know, we called our grandparents ‘a-gong’ and ‘āmā,’ and these a-gongs and āmās in their 70s and 80s are just amazing, amazing people, to have that clear sense of mind to take this guy down.”


        Comment


        • #5
          Came across the following statement:

          Chinese America immigrated from China(Communist). Attacked Tiwainese (Democratic State). Sorry, that right wing stuff.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by CivilDiscourse View Post
            Came across the following statement:

            Chinese America immigrated from China(Communist). Attacked Tiwainese (Democratic State). Sorry, that right wing stuff.
            Heard something this morning that his motive appears both politically and ethnically based.

            I'm always still in trouble again

            "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
            "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
            "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
              Heard something this morning that his motive appears both politically and ethnically based.
              Weird. Ethnically, China and Taiwan are the same. Aren't they?

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Ronson View Post

                Weird. Ethnically, China and Taiwan are the same. Aren't they?
                There are a lot of ethnicities in China. The main group, the Han, pretty much rule everyone else. When was the last time you saw China promote a dark skinned person from southern China as being the face of the country in an ad or movie? And look at how they treat the Uyghurs. Also, watch virtually any Kung fu period movie from China -- they still despise the Manchurians.

                Still, Taiwan is virtually entirely Han Chinese, so if there is a question of ethnicity it may be that the shooter is of a Chinese minority group.


                Oh, as an aside, this Chinese commercial makes it pretty clear how the Chinese view blacks (during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the government placed all African students studying there in lockdown for the duration because as "everyone knows" blacks are a bunch of thieves who's presence would be embarrassing):


                I'm always still in trouble again

                "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Ronson View Post

                  Weird. Ethnically, China and Taiwan are the same. Aren't they?
                  Ethnicity is somewhat mercurial. Race plays a part, but it is also a matter of shared culture (among other things.) China and Taiwan used to have a shared culture, but that is no longer the case. Sort of like the Jews and Samarians (as contrasted to Samaritans) of ancient times. Shared heritage, but different (and mutually antagonistic) ethnicity.
                  1Cor 15:34 Come to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for I say to your shame, there are some who know not God.
                  .
                  ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛
                  Scripture before Tradition:
                  but that won't prevent others from
                  taking it upon themselves to deprive you
                  of the right to call yourself Christian.

                  ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    More details. He hates Taiwan because his family was forcibly moved there.

                    Source: Authorities: Hate against Taiwanese led to church attack


                    A gunman motivated by political hatred against Taiwan chained shut the doors of a California church and hid firebombs inside before shooting at a gathering of mostly elderly Taiwanese parishioners, killing a man who tackled him and possibly saved dozens of lives, authorities said Monday.

                    David Chou, 68, of Las Vegas — a U.S. citizen who authorities say grew up in Taiwan — drove to Orange County on Saturday. The next day, he attended a lunch held by Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, which worships at Geneva Presbyterian Church in the community of Laguna Woods. Though he knew no one there, he spent about an hour mingling with about 40 attendees and then executed his plot, authorities said at a news conference.

                    Authorities said Chou chained the doors and put super glue in the keyholes. He had two 9 mm handguns — legally purchased years ago in Las Vegas — and three bags, containing among other things four Molotov-cocktail-type incendiary devices and extra ammunition. He opened fire and in the ensuing chaos Dr. John Cheng, 52, tackled him, allowing other parishioners to subdue him and tie him up with extension cords.

                    Cheng died and five people were wounded, the oldest 92. Sheriff Don Barnes called Cheng’s heroism “a meeting of good versus evil” that probably saved the lives “of upwards of dozens of people.”

                    Chou, who for years worked as a security guard, was booked on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and jailed on $1 million bail. He was expected to appear in state court Tuesday. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. A federal hate crimes investigation is also ongoing.

                    There was no immediate word on why Chou chose to target the church in Laguna Woods, a scenic and affluent coastal area whose population mainly consists of retirees.

                    Barnes said the motive for the shooting was Chou’s hatred toward Taiwan that was documented in handwritten notes that authorities found. Chou’s family apparently was among many forcibly removed from mainland China to Taiwan sometime after 1948, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said.

                    Relations between mainlanders forced to flee a Communist takeover and native Taiwanese were frequently tense as the new arrivals crowded into slums and military communities. Separated by language and lifestyle, bullying and confrontation were frequent as President Chiang Kai-shek tightly restricted civil liberties under nearly four decades of martial law.

                    The Presbyterian Church is the most prominent of the Christian dominations in Taiwan and was closely identified with the pro-democracy movement during the martial law era and later with the Taiwan independence cause.


                    Barnes referred to Chou as an immigrant from China but Taiwan’s Central News Agency says it interviewed Louis M. Huang, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, and he confirmed that Chou was born in Taiwan in 1953.

                    Barnes said Chou acted alone and was “not believed to be associated with any specific church or any religion, and there’s no direct connection to the church or any member of the church that we’re aware of,” Barnes said.

                    Balmore Orellana, a former neighbor, said Chou’s life unraveled after his wife left him last year. Before, Chou had been a pleasant man who used to own the Las Vegas apartment building where he lived until being evicted in February, Orellana told The Associated Press.

                    Records showed the four-unit property was sold last October for a little more than $500,000. Orellana said Chou’s wife used the money from the sale to move to Taiwan.

                    Before Orellana moved in about five years ago, Chou received a head injury and other serious injuries in an attack by a tenant, the neighbor said. More recently his mental health declined and last summer a gun was fired inside Chou’s apartment and the bullet entered Orellana’s apartment, although nobody was hurt, Orellana said.

                    Police reports about the assault and the shooting were not immediately available Monday.

                    Tensions between China and Taiwan are at the highest in decades, with Beijing stepping up its military harassment by flying fighter jets toward the self-governing island. China has not ruled out force to reunify with Taiwan, which split from the mainland during a civil war in 1949.

                    Taiwan’s chief representative in the U.S., Bi-khim Hsiao, offered condolences to the shooting families on Twitter.

                    “I join the families of the victims and Taiwanese American communities in grief and pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded survivors,” Hsiao wrote on Sunday.


                    Source

                    © Copyright Original Source



                    [*Article continues at hyperlink*]

                    I'm always still in trouble again

                    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                    Comment

                    Related Threads

                    Collapse

                    Topics Statistics Last Post
                    Started by whag, Yesterday, 05:11 PM
                    0 responses
                    20 views
                    0 likes
                    Last Post whag
                    by whag
                     
                    Started by Cow Poke, Yesterday, 11:25 AM
                    32 responses
                    208 views
                    0 likes
                    Last Post oxmixmudd  
                    Started by whag, 03-17-2024, 01:48 PM
                    24 responses
                    104 views
                    0 likes
                    Last Post whag
                    by whag
                     
                    Started by CivilDiscourse, 03-17-2024, 11:56 AM
                    52 responses
                    285 views
                    0 likes
                    Last Post seer
                    by seer
                     
                    Started by Hypatia_Alexandria, 03-16-2024, 07:40 AM
                    77 responses
                    386 views
                    0 likes
                    Last Post Hypatia_Alexandria  
                    Working...
                    X