The physician who died Sunday after tackling a gunman who opened fireplace in a Laguna Woods church was an East Texas native and an alumnus of Baylor and Texas Tech Universities.
Dr. John Cheng, 52, tackled gunman David Chou, 68, after Chou opened fireplace on the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church throughout a lunch banquet following a morning service on the Laguna Woods Church in California.
Cheng graduated from Marshall Excessive College in 1987, Marshall ISD stated in an announcement Monday night time.
“Marshall ISD mourns the lack of Dr. John Cheng, household man, buddy, hero and sophistication of 1987 MHS graduate,” the district stated in an announcement. “Prayers will proceed to be lifted for his household and associates in addition to all of these touched by this tragedy.”
Cheng additionally graduated from Baylor College in 1991, KWTX-TV reported, and attended medical faculty at Texas Tech College of Medication.
Authorities stated at a information convention that Chou of Las Vegas drove to Orange County on Saturday and the following day attended a lunch held by Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church. Though he knew nobody there, Chou spent about an hour mingling with about 40 attendees after which executed his plot.
He opened fireplace and within the ensuing chaos, Cheng tackled him, permitting different parishioners to subdue him and tie him up with extension cords.
Cheng died within the incident and 5 different folks have been wounded. Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes referred to as Cheng’s heroism “a gathering of fine versus evil” that most likely saved the lives “of upwards of dozens of individuals.”
Authorities stated Monday that Chou was motivated by hatred towards Taiwan. He was booked on suspicion of homicide and tried homicide and jailed on $1 million bail. A federal hate crimes investigation can also be ongoing.
Barnes stated the motive of the capturing was a grievance between the shooter, who he stated was born in China and is a U.S. citizen, and the Taiwanese neighborhood. China claims Taiwan is part of its nationwide territory and has not dominated out pressure to carry the island below its rule.
Cheng is survived by a spouse and two youngsters.
The capturing got here a day after an 18-year-old man shot and killed 10 folks at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York in a racist rampage the place the white gunman allegedly focused a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood.