Chou worked intermittently as a security guard in Las Vegas, according to Orellana. He was wearing a black shirt that some parishioners believed said “Security,” the church said. In a letter released Monday, the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church alleged Chou arrived at the church around 10 a.m. Orellana said Chou was evicted in February.Īccording to Orellana, Chou said he was born in Taiwan but considered himself Chinese and believed China and Taiwan were one country.Ĭalifornia Gunman allegedly lurked in church for hours before opening fire in deadly attack His wife had returned to Taiwan in December, to seek treatment for cancer but also to leave him in the midst of a divorce - according to Balmore Orellana, their former neighbor in Las Vegas.Ĭhou and his wife owned the building they lived in, but sold it around the time she left for Taiwan, Orellana said, and Chou later complained to him that the new owners raised the rent to an unaffordable level. In the months leading up to the shooting, Chou dealt with upheaval in his personal life. Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, whose members were the target of an attack authorities allege was a politically motivated hate incident, released a letter that offered new insights into the events of the hours before the shooting and its direct aftermath. “According to the suspect’s writings that have been interpreted, he fostered a grievance against the Taiwanese community and he was upset about the political tensions between China and Taiwan,” Braun said.Ĭalifornia Suspect’s life was collapsing before Laguna Woods church shooting Within Taiwan, a majority of people favor maintaining the status quo, with some wanting to openly declare independence and a small minority wanting to someday unify with China. and most other countries - also said Chou was born in Taiwan.Ĭhina considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has grown increasingly aggressive about reclaiming the democratic, self-ruled island. “While later speaking with the suspect, he indicated that he was born and raised in Taiwan.”Īn official from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles - Taiwan’s de facto embassy, since the island is not officially recognized by the U.S. “The information regarding his nationality was provided to us during interviews with people familiar with the suspect, while communicating through interpreters,” department spokeswoman Carrie Braun said in a statement.
However, the Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday evening that additional information had come to light that this wasn’t the case. Originally, Barnes said Chou was born in mainland China and relocated to Taiwan at some point before moving to the United States. For example, they have a statute under federal law of engaging in terrorist acts or injury to others or murder in a house of worship,” he said.īarnes said Chou left notes in Chinese in his car stating he did not believe Taiwan should be independent from China, and apparently had an issue with Taiwanese people because of the way he was treated while living there.
He said there also are statutes under federal law that those authorities could consider filing in this case.
Spitzer met with the FBI on Monday and said the agency has interpreters and other specialists reviewing evidence.
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Spitzer said he wants to “continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the FBI to get all the additional evidence, so that if we file a hate crime enhancement, we’ve done it knowing full well what the evidence is.” “While there’s very strong evidence right now that this was motivated by hate, we want to make sure that we have put together all the evidence that confirms that theory,” Spitzer told reporters during a briefing Tuesday. Prosecutors have not yet filed a hate crime sentencing enhancement in the case, but Spitzer said his team is working with the FBI to explore that evidence. The FBI has also opened a federal hate crime investigation into the shooting. Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes on Monday characterized the shooting as a “politically motivated hate incident,” and said authorities think Chou “specifically targeted the Taiwanese community.” John Cheng put himself in the line of fire. When a man began shooting at the congregants - most of them elderly and Taiwanese - Dr. California This doctor was killed saving his mother’s congregation in Laguna Woods church shooting