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A person who padlocked a church and opened hearth on its Taiwanese-American congregation, killing one individual and injuring 5 others, was motivated by hatred of the island and its folks, US investigators stated Monday.
David Chou jammed the doorways shut utilizing chains and superglue as dozens of parishioners loved a post-service banquet on the church in Laguna Woods, close to Los Angeles.
The 68-year-old, an American citizen, additionally hid baggage containing Molotov cocktails and spare ammunition across the constructing, earlier than opening hearth with two handguns, in what investigators say was a “methodical” try to inflict carnage.
“We all know that he formulated a technique that he wished to make use of,” Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes stated.
“It was very properly thought out from how he had ready, each being there, securing the placement, putting issues concerning the within the room to perpetuate further victims if he had the chance,” he added.
Chou, who works as a safety guard in Las Vegas, launched the assault out of “politically motivated hate…(and) was upset about political tensions between China and Taiwan.”
Sheriff Barnes stated Chou “is a US citizen who immigrated from China.”
In the meantime, an official at Taiwan’s commerce workplace in Los Angeles instructed AFP that he was born on the island in 1953.
Taiwan has been dominated independently for the reason that finish of a civil conflict in 1949. It has its personal democratically elected authorities and a strong navy.
Authoritarian China claims the island as its personal, insisting it’s a renegade province that can in the future be dropped at heel.
Particulars emerged Monday of the heroism of 1 parishioner, who tackled Chou as he started capturing.
John Cheng, a physician, charged Chou in a bid to deliver him to the bottom, permitting others to hogtie him till police arrived.
“With out the actions of Dr. Cheng there isn’t any doubt that there would have been quite a few further victims on this crime,” stated Barnes.
“Sadly, after Dr. Cheng tackled the suspect he was hit by gunshots and he was pronounced deceased on the scene.”
5 different individuals who had been injured within the assault had been taken to hospital. They ranged in age from 66 to 92.
Sunday’s capturing got here simply 24 hours after a gunman killed ten folks in Buffalo, in what’s being investigated as a racist assault.
Gun violence is shockingly widespread in the USA, the place lethal weapons are available and a strong gun foyer works to stop controls on their sale and distribution.
Greater than 45,000 Individuals died from weapons — half by suicide — in 2021, up from simply over 39,000 in 2019, based on the Gun Violence Archive web site.
Some 7,000 folks have already died from murder shootings or unintentional gunshots in the USA this 12 months, with shootings in public locations an nearly every day incidence.
There have been 202 mass shootings, outlined as an incident through which 4 or extra individuals are injured or killed, up to now this 12 months, based on the archive.
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