TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — David Wenwei Chou (周文偉), who is accused of fatally shooting a doctor and wounding five other people at a mass shooting at a Taiwanese church in California last year, has been indicted for nearly 100 federal crimes.
The indictment was released on Thursday (May 11) from a grand jury in a U.S. district court in Santa Ana, California. A total of 98 counts of federal hate crimes have been laid against Chou including the murder of one victim and the attempted murder of 44 others.
Authorities said Chou, 69, of Las Vegas attacked older church members with guns at an event at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods in California's Orange County on May 15, 2022, and barricaded the doors from inside before the attack. Investigators said that Chou had two pistols, several bags of ammunition, and four Molotov cocktails and "was motivated by hatred of Taiwan, where he grew up," AP reported citing investigators.
The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement that Chou was indicted on 45 counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious belief by force and "45 counts of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act by attacking the church congregants because of their actual or perceived Taiwanese national origin and Presbyterian faith," one count of attempting to destroy a building by means of fire or explosive, one count of carrying explosives when committing a federal felony offense, and six counts of using a firearm while committing a violent crime.
Prosecutors in Orange County, California, indicted Chou last year for murder and attempted murder, but he pleaded not guilty. Online records reveal that Chou is being held in Orange County without bail and is scheduled to appear in court on July 14.
Authorities said that Chou had no connection with the church before the attack. He spent an hour with church members before launching the assault, apparently to gain their trust, and then chained up the doors to launch the shooting.
Chou shot and killed John Cheng, 52, a physician who tried to subdue Chou as he began firing on parishioners. Pastor Billy Chang (張宣信) also threw a chair at Chou.
Several other people then stepped forward to subdue Chou and tied him up with extension cords until the police arrived at the scene. The ages of the five wounded ranged from 66 to 92.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles on May 17, 2022 told CNA that contrary to reports from U.S. officials that Chou was born in China, he was actually born in Taiwan in 1953. The office said that in the past, holders of Taiwan passports with parents from China, often listed "China" as their birthplace on official documents when emigrating to the U.S. and this may have been the case with Chou.
If Chou is convicted, he could be sentenced to death, or life imprisonment without parole. According to the indictment, Chou is in state custody awaiting state criminal charges.
