Laguna Woods: The pastor of a southern California church hit a gunman with a chair as he paused to reload, bringing to a halt the second US mass shooting in 24 hours.
In a move hailed by the Orange County police as “exceptional heroism and bravery”, churchgoers at the Geneva Presbyterian Church then tackled and hog-tied the assailant, who had already opened fire, killing one parishioner and wounding five others.
Four of the five people wounded suffered critical gunshot injuries during the violence at Geneva Presbyterian Church in the city of Laguna Woods, Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials said.
The Taiwanese congregration of the Geneva Presbyterian Church are mostly of retirement age.Credit:The Orange County Register
The suspect in the shooting, an Asian man in his 60s, was in custody and deputies recovered two handguns at the scene, Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said. A motive for the shooting wasn’t immediately known but investigators don’t believe the gunman lives in the community, he said.
Peggy Huang, a local councillor whose parents are members of the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, told the Los Angeles Times that witnesses said the man started shooting as parishioners posed for photos with the pastor, Billy Chang, who was visiting from Taiwan.
Between 30 and 40 members of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church were gathered for lunch after a morning church service at Geneva when gunfire erupted shortly before 1.30pm, officials said. When deputies arrived, parishioners had the gunman hog-tied with an extension cord and in custody. Huang told the Times that some members of the church had military backgrounds.
“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,” a spokesman for the sheriff’s department said. “I think it’s safe to say that had people not intervened, it could have been much worse.”
Little is known about the assailant or his motive, but police said he did not live in the area. Credit:The Orange County Register
The wounded victims were four Asian men, who were 66, 75, 82 and 92 years old, and an 86-year-old Asian woman, the sheriff’s department said. Authorities originally said only four of the five surviving victims had been shot.
Information about the person who was killed was not immediately released.
Laguna Woods was built as a senior living community and later became a city. More than 80 per cent of residents in the city of 18,000 people about 80 kilometres southeast of Los Angeles are at least 65.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said on Twitter that he was closely monitoring the situation.
“No one should have to fear going to their place of worship. Our thoughts are with the victims, community, and all those impacted by this tragic event,” the tweet said.
The shooting came a day after an 18-year-old man shot and killed 10 people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
AP
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