Laguna Woods

"I heard the gun sounds," Geneva Presbyterian Church congregant Jerry Chen, 72, said according to the Los Angeles Times. "Then I heard two or three more ...

Our thoughts are with the victims, community, and all those impacted by this tragic event," the office tweeted. Before services began Sunday, the parishioners greeted the gunman and welcomed him to their church. Information on the shooting is still forthcoming, but police revealed an Asian man in his 60s was taken into custody. "They were taking photos with Pastor Chang. I had just finished my lunch and went into the kitchen." The gunman opened fire on the roughly 40 people gathered, injuring five and killing one. He was just randomly shooting."

Authorities try to determine why a man opened fire Sunday inside Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, killing one churchgoer and injuring five.

It eventually moved to another borrowed space in a Tustin church before settling at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods in 2012. The shooting occurred during a lunch in a hall after the service. Orange County authorities said it’s too early to determine whether hate was a motive in this attack. As she left she saw a man chaining the last door, the son recalled his mother telling him. The exact types were not released. All five were shot, and four sustained critical injuries. He told them he had attended services several times, but the members were doubtful because no one recognized him, churchgoer Jerry Chen said. Investigators have obtained a warrant to search Chou’s Las Vegas home for evidence and that search is underway, according to law enforcement sources. The man who was killed was in his 40s and was accompanying his mother to church, Huang said. The shooting at the church left one dead, five wounded and the surrounding community stunned and in mourning. Chen, who was inside the church at the time of the shooting, said the shooter spoke to parishioners in Taiwanese. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department says it detained a suspect and a weapon at a church shooting in Laguna Woods.

The suspect in the Laguna Woods church shooting that killed one person and wounded five others was identified Monday as a 68-year-old Las Vegas man.

One person was killed and five others injured when a gunman opened fire at a Laguna Woods church before being subdued by the congregants.

It is a leading cause of premature death in the country, responsible for more than 38,000 deaths annually. Authorities have served multiple search warrants at Chou's home, as well as a vehicle that was found in the parking lot of the church. "We know he formulated a strategy that he employed. Barnes said his family is believed to be residing in Taiwan. The American Public Health Association says gun violence in the US is a public health crisis. "We know he had a very intentional plan," Barnes said.

At least one person is dead and four are critically injured after a shooting Sunday at a church in Laguna Woods, California, according to the sheriff's ...

Our thoughts are with the victims, community, and all those impacted by this tragic event," Newsom said in a tweet Police have a suspect in custody, Orange County Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said during a news conference on Sunday evening. Another person has minor injuries, according to the tweet.

Witnesses to the shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods told a Yorba Linda councilwoman what happened in the moments leading up to and right ...

"It's just amazing," Huang said. The gunman then dropped his weapon. "We believe a group of churchgoers detained him, and hogtied his legs with an extension cord, and confiscated at least two weapons from him," said Orange County Undersheriff Jeff Hallock, during a Sunday evening press conference.

OC Sheriff Don Barnes identified the shooting suspect as David Cho, 68, of Las Vegas, who Barnes said drove to Orange County on Saturday. John Cheng ...

Share your thoughts in a community opinion piece. Send us a secure tip. As an independent and local nonprofit, our news is accessible to all, regardless of what they can afford. Our reporters hold powerful interests accountable to protect your quality of life. Join the conversation: In lieu of comments, we encourage readers to engage with us across a variety of mediums. You are obviously connected to your community and value good journalism.

Authorities identified the man suspected of opening fire inside an Orange County church, killing one and injuring five, as a 68-year-old Las Vegas man.

Barnes said the suspect used a chain to lock doors and tried to glue the locks shut. Federal agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded. In a tweet Monday morning, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said David Chou was arrested and booked on one felony count of murder and five felony counts of attempted murder. Witnesses say he then began locking the doors, and moments later, the first shots were fired, Councilwoman Peggy Huang, who grew up in the Geneva Presbyterian Church community, said after speaking with witnesses. "It is believe the suspect was upset about political tensions between China and Taiwan." China claims Taiwan is a part of its national territory and has not ruled out force to bring the island under its rule.

Authorities identified the gunman suspected of opening fire inside an Orange County church, killing one and injuring five, in what investigators described ...

Barnes said the suspect used a chain to lock doors and tried to glue the locks shut. Federal agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded. In a tweet Monday morning, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said David Chou was arrested and booked on one felony count of murder and five felony counts of attempted murder. Witnesses say he then began locking the doors, and moments later, the first shots were fired, Councilwoman Peggy Huang, who grew up in the Geneva Presbyterian Church community, said after speaking with witnesses. "It is believe the suspect was upset about political tensions between China and Taiwan." China claims Taiwan is a part of its national territory and has not ruled out force to bring the island under its rule.

Orange County officials on Monday said David Chou has been booked on murder, attempted murder charges.

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The injured victims range in age from 66 to 92 years old. California US Rep Katie Porter, who represents a swath of Orange County in Congress, said in the wake of shootings in Laguna Woods and Buffalo, shootings have become “a nationwide epidemic”. “Today is a very dark day for the people of Laguna Woods and Orange County,” said Lisa Bartlett of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. “We too are now dealing with people shot.” The incident was “a manifestation of the ugliest part of our humanity that exists in our country today” and “we are not going to tolerate it,” Mr Barnes said Monday. In addition to local police, the LA offices of the FBI and ATF are assisting with the investigation.

"I heard the gun sounds," Geneva Presbyterian Church congregant Jerry Chen, 72, said according to the Los Angeles Times. "Then I heard two or three more ...

Our thoughts are with the victims, community, and all those impacted by this tragic event," the office tweeted. Before services began Sunday, the parishioners greeted the gunman and welcomed him to their church. Information on the shooting is still forthcoming, but police revealed an Asian man in his 60s was taken into custody. "They were taking photos with Pastor Chang. I had just finished my lunch and went into the kitchen." The gunman opened fire on the roughly 40 people gathered, injuring five and killing one. He was just randomly shooting."

The gunman who opened fire on a Taiwanese church congregation in Laguna Woods, Calif., on Sunday, killing one and injuring five, was motivated by political ...

Wei-Ming Tao, 67, a retiree living in Laguna Woods, confirmed that those in the community generally tried to steer clear of politics of any kind in conversations. The sheriff said Mr. Chou, who had emigrated to the United States and is an American citizen, had been living alone in a rented room and appeared to have no ties to the congregation. He is a member of the congregation but did not attend church on Sunday. Mr. Cheng’s intervention, he added, allowed the visiting pastor — who had led the service that day — to throw a chair at the gunman while others helped to restrain him, confiscating two weapons and hogtying him with extension cords. The shooting served as another reminder that religious sanctuaries are not immune from the gun violence that has occurred in virtually every public space, from grocery stores to schools. In an account released by the church, Mr. Chang said he was on a podium taking photos when the gunman opened fire from 10 to 15 steps away. Bags filled with magazines of ammunition, as well as several incendiary devices, were found on the church grounds, the sheriff said. A small congregation that never had its own building, the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church is mostly a congregation of older Christian immigrants who worship weekly in Taiwanese, their first language. Sheriff Barnes said that Mr. Chou had apparently acted alone, setting an elaborate trap, although it was not clear why he had chosen this out-of-the-way church as a target. It was not until he opened fire with one of his two semiautomatic pistols that the crowd of 150 or so churchgoers, most of them retirees, took notice. At a news conference, the Orange County sheriff, Don Barnes, called the mass shooting a “politically motivated hate incident.” He had been there before, the man assured a receptionist, refusing in Taiwanese to fill out a form providing his contact information.

Sometime after the prayer service ended and before the luncheon began on Sunday, May 15, authorities believe David Wenwei Chou entered the dining hall at a ...

That could make Chou eligible for the death penalty or a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. But before he could complete that task Chang said he picked up a chair and struck Chou with it, while others soon grabbed Chou’s guns and pinned him to the ground. To the murder charge, Spitzer said he would consider adding a sentencing enhancement for lying in wait. And as parishioners fell to the floor, while others made their way to a kitchen exit that Chou had left unsecured, Chang said he believed Cheng was shot three times. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said his office plans to file one count of murder and four counts of attempted murder against Chou on Tuesday, May 17. Around 1:20 p.m., some members who were leaving told Chang they saw Chou “applying iron chains” to the doors to secure them. Chou allegedly used padlocks, Super Glu and nails to seal most of the dining hall doors. Barnes said Chou is married with two children. Cheng was pronounced dead at the scene. “Some believe the word on his shirt was ‘Security.’” Kristi Johnson, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles office, said the agency was working with the District Attorney’s office and the U.S. Attorney’s office to determine if Chou should face a hate crime charge. At that point, Chang said, Chou began reloading his gun.

Stanton grew up and Orange County and wrote that Cheng was his primary care physician.

You can select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Click here to find out more about our partners. - Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address