Authorities identified the gunman suspected of opening fire inside an Orange County church, killing one and injuring five, as a 68-year-old Las Vegas man.
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.
Jail records indicated Chou was due for a first court appearance on Wednesday. He is being held on $1 million bond.
Refresh this page for updates. More details are expected at a noon news conference with the sheriff’s department.
One person was killed and five were injured, four critically, in the shooting early Sunday afternoon at Geneva Presbyterian Church in the city of Laguna Woods. the five wounded victims were identified only as four men, ages 66, 92, 82 and 75, and an 86-year-old woman.
The deceased victim was described only as a man.
The tragedy could have been worse had it not been for the quick actions of people gathered in the church for a lunch that followed a morning service, the sheriff’s department said.
“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. “That group of churchgoers displayed what we believe is exceptional heroism and bravery in intervening to stop the suspect. They undoubtedly prevented additional injuries and fatalities.”
Between 30 and 40 people were at the church. It was not immediately clear how many people stepped in to stop the shooter.
Witnesses told a Yorba Linda councilmember that a visiting pastor threw a chair at the gunman to prevent him from firing more rounds. Other congregants tackled the shooter to the ground before hog-tying him and holding him down until deputies arrived.
The man had earlier walked into the church and appeared to be carrying newspapers. 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.
Members greeted the man and welcomed him before the violence erupted, the Los Angeles Times reported.
One man died at the scene and a fifth injured person suffered minor injuries, officials said. All the victims were adults.
A motive remained unclear.
Images: Laguna Woods Church Shooting Leaves 1 Dead, 5 Hurt
“Please keep the leadership of the Taiwanese congregation and Geneva in your prayers as they care for the those traumatized by this shooting,” the presbytery’s Tom Cramer said in a statement on Facebook.
Federal agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded. The FBI also sent agents to the scene to assist the sheriff.
On its website, Geneva Presbyterian Church describes its mission as “to remember, tell, and live the way of Jesus by being just, kind, and humble.”
“All are welcome here. Really, we mean that! … Geneva aspires to be an inclusive congregation worshipping, learning, connecting, giving and serving together.”
Violence in houses of worship includes the deadliest shooting inside a church — the 2017 shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A gunman opened fire during a Sunday service at First Baptist Church. More than two dozen people were killed.
In 2015, a shooter fired dozens of rounds during the closing prayer of a 2015 Bible study session at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina. Nine members of the Black congregation were killed in the racist violence and the shooter became the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime. His appeal remains before the Supreme Court.
The Laguna Woods shooting came a day after an 18-year-old man shot and killed 10 people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
