David Chou
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David Chou is a Chinese-American man who perpetrated a mass shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California on May 15, 2022, killing one person and injuring five. The shooting took place one day after the shooting in Buffalo, New York.
Chou is currently in federal custody and is awaiting trial.
Background edit
Chou attacked during a luncheon after church service at Geneva Presbyterian Church. Police were alerted at about 1:26 p.m. PDT (UTC-7). There were between 30 and 40 people inside the church at the time, most of them Taiwanese American. The church doors had been chained shut, and glue was placed in the locks. Four items similar to Molotov cocktails had been stored inside the church.
An attendee, Dr. John Cheng, charged Chou and tried to disarm him. Cheng was hit by gunfire and was later counted among the dead. A pastor in the church hit Chou on the head with a chair. Several hogtied the shooter with an extension cord and confiscated two handguns, which were recovered by police.
Chou was 68 years old at the time of the shooting and has been reported as being from Las Vegas. The motive is unknown, but police suspect it to be a politically motivated hate crime regarding Taiwanese-Chinese tensions. According to the sheriff, there were notes in the suspect's vehicle alluding to "his hatred of the Taiwanese people". The suspect had previously purchased two 9mm pistols in Las Vegas, according to an ATF agent.
One of Chou's neighbors described him as "a grumpy man who would argue with you over a parking spot", according to CNN. Another former neighbor, Balmore Orellana, said that he had lived next to Chou for about five years. Chou was evicted in February, Orellana said, and may have been living in his car.
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting the Orange County Sheriff's Department with the investigation. The FBI said it is investigating the incident as a hate crime.
Chou has been charged with one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder. He remains in custody.