‘Heinous crime’: O.C. shooting suspect locked church doors with chains, placed explosives at scene: Sheriff

A 68-year-old man suspected of killing one and injuring 5 others throughout a taking pictures at a Laguna Woods church Sunday had locked the church doorways with chains and positioned explosives on the scene beforehand, officers mentioned.

David Chou was allegedly “upset with political tensions between China and Taiwan,” when he opened hearth throughout a lunch banquet after morning service at Geneva Presbyterian Church on the 24000 block of El Toro Street, in line with Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes.

Chou had pushed to the church which he had no apparent ties to, locked the church doorways with chains and tried to disable the locks with glue, Barnes mentioned throughout a information convention Monday morning.

Round 50 folks had been gathered to have a good time the return of a pastor who was on a mission journey in Taiwan.

Chou was not recognized to the congregants, however he joined the gathering and was strolling round earlier than he began taking pictures. Orange County District Lawyer Todd Spitzer mentioned he “socialized and mingled,” beforehand.

A churchgoer, 52-year-old John Cheng, tackled Chou and tried to disarm him, permitting others to subdue the suspect and in the end tie him up till police arrived.

Cheng, nevertheless, was shot within the course of and died. His actions had been described by authorities on Monday as heroic.

5 different folks had been injured, together with a married couple of their 80s, Barnes mentioned.

Two 9 millimeter semi-automatic pistols had been on the scene, together with a number of baggage that contained magazines with extra ammo and 4 Molotov cocktail-like incendiary gadgets that Chou had allegedly positioned across the church, Barnes mentioned.

In Chou’s automobile, authorities discovered notes in Mandarin that confirmed “hatred of the Taiwanese folks.”

The FBI mentioned they opened a federal hate crimes investigation into the incident.

Barnes described the taking pictures as a “heinous crime.”

Chou is dealing with one depend of homicide with using a gun, 5 counts of tried homicide and 4 counts of illegal possession of explosives, Spitzer mentioned.

The suspect, a Chinese language immigrant who works as a safety guard within the Las Vegas space, additionally faces a particular circumstances allegation of mendacity in wait.

He might face the demise penalty or life in jail.

Spitzer he needed to see the crime scene for himself to find out how one can proceed with the case.

“I wanted to see with my very own eyes the havoc, the despair, the urgency, the emotion and the lives that he has eternally affected and ruined,” the highest prosecutor mentioned.