LOS ANGELES (RNS)—One person is dead and five people were injured May 15 in a shooting inside Geneva Presbyterian Church in the south Orange County city of Laguna Woods, Calif., authorities said.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department received calls just before 1:30 p.m. Pacific time, saying a shooting was underway on the 24000 block of El Toro Road.
The church is home to at least two congregations, including the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, according to the church website.
About 30 to 40 members of the Taiwanese congregation were in the church at the time of the shooting, Undersheriff Jeff Hallock told reporters.
The gunman opened fire at a lunch banquet following the morning service, Hallock said. He said a group of churchgoers “hogtied” him, according to Hallock, tying his legs with an extension cord. Two handguns were taken from the shooter before the deputies arrived.
“Churchgoers displayed exceptional heroism and bravery in intervening to stop the suspect,” said Hallock.
The suspect has been identified as David Chou, 68, from Las Vegas, Nev., and has been booked on one felony count of murder and five felony counts of attempted murder, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said.
All victims were adults and were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds, authorities said. One victim, identified as Dr. John Cheng, 52, a Baylor University alumnus, died at the scene. Four were critically wounded, and one sustained minor injuries.
The injured victims—which included four men and one woman who were of Asian descent—ranged in age from 66 to 92 years old.
Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays
Laguna Woods spans about 3.1 square miles with more than 90 percent of its residents—an estimated 18,000—living in the 55-and-older community of Laguna Woods Village.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the investigation.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.