Authorities of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said Monday that a shooting at a California church was a “politically motivated hate incident” against the Taiwanese community.
At least one person was killed and five people were injured when the shooter opened fire Sunday afternoon inside Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods. The church was hosting a Taiwanese congregation.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department identified the suspect Monday as David Chou, 68, of Las Vegas. Chou was booked on one felony count of murder and five felony counts of attempted murder, the sheriff’s department said in a tweet.
Police said Chou drove to the church Sunday morning and entered during a luncheon, firing on a group of largely elderly congregants. Chou secured the doors of the church with chains and attempted to disable the locks with superglue, according to Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes.
Authorities said the shooter targeted the Taiwanese community at the church over political grievances on tensions between China and Taiwan.
“This was a politically motivated hate incident, a grievance that this individual had between himself and the Taiwanese community at-large,” Barnes said during the conference.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation opened a hate crime investigation into the shooting, authorities said.
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