![]() ![]() ![]() On May 15, 2022, Orange County prosecutors say, Chou walked into the church with two 9-millimeter handguns and several backpacks that contained extra magazines and four Molotov cocktails. The parishioners gather in space that the church rents at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods. The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan is known for its support of pro-independence causes, and the Irvine congregation’s services are in the Taiwanese dialect. It also splits my familyĪs the offspring of a mixed marriage, I understand the divide that probably defined the gunman’s life, as it has defined my parents’ lives. If convicted on all counts, Chou could face the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole.Ĭhou, who has pleaded not guilty to related state charges in Orange County, was charged in the federal case with 45 counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by force for killing one person and trying to murder 44 others.Ĭalifornia Taiwan’s political divide fueled a gunman’s rage. Five people were injured by the gunfire.Ĭhou’s deadly assault was premised on the victims’ national origin and religion, federal prosecutors alleged. In a sweeping new federal indictment, a Las Vegas man accused of killing one person and injuring five others last year at a Taiwanese Presbyterian church in Orange County has been charged with hate crimes, murder and attempted murder, prosecutors announced Thursday.ĭavid Chou, 69, was charged by a federal grand jury in Santa Ana with 98 counts for the May 2022 shooting and attempted bombing at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods.Ĭhou, a former casino security guard, is accused of killing John Cheng, 52, and attempting to kill 44 others with guns and explosive devices. ![]()
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