The Las Vegas man accused of a mass shooting at a Southern California church is now facing hate crime charges. 68-year-old David Chou is already facing a first-degree murder charge and other allegations. A valley Taiwanese American says this is an appropriate step.
“It hurts deep and it’s something that we’re all thinking, how to make sure this never happens again.”
The mass shooting of a Taiwanese Presbyterian church in southern California cuts deep for valley Taiwanese American Eric Jeng. His family having close ties.
“It hit very close to home being a part of it. My parents are also pastors and missionaries in Taiwan,” he said.
RELATED STORY: EXCLUSIVE: Exploring suspected church shooter David Chou's political ties
The suspected shooter David Chou of Las Vegas facing a first-degree murder charge and multiple attempted murder charges after killing Dr. John Cheng and injuring several others. The Orange County District Attorney’s office filing new hate crime charges against Chou. Prosecutors saying chou killed dr. Cheng due to his "his race, color, religion, nationality, or country of origin”. Chou was born and raised in Taiwan before becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.
He says this shooting is based off of geopolitical grievances of an older generation coupled with the issue of American gun violence. What saddens Jeng is the fact that both the suspected shooter and victims were all immigrants.
“Whatever the shooter did was everything against the American dream,” he said.
The Las Vegas man accused of a mass shooting at a Southern California church is now facing hate crime charges. 68-year-old David Chou is already facing a first-degree murder charge and other allegations. A valley Taiwanese American says this is an appropriate step.
www.ktnv.com
If Chou is convicted of all charges, which also includes four counts of possession of an explosive device, enhancements of lying in wait and personal discharge of a firearm causing death, he could face the death penalty.
Last month, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes called the shootings a "politically motivated hate incident" and said Chou is believed to have "specifically targeted the Taiwanese community."
Chou left notes in his car written in Chinese saying he did not believe Taiwan should be independent of China, Barnes said. The man appeared to take issue with Taiwanese people because of how he was treated when he was living in Taiwan, the sheriff said.
Prosecutors say Chou entered Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California, where the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church rents space, with two handguns, several backpacks holding extra magazines and four Molotov cocktail devices.
The man accused of killing one person and injuring five others at a Taiwanese church in California has been charged with hate crime enhancements.
www.foxnews.com
