The fatal victim in the California church shooting was identified Monday as a doctor who died while trying to save his fellow congregants — by charging at the alleged gunman, officials said.
Dr. John Cheng, a sports medicine specialist from Laguna Niguel, was fatally shot once Sunday while rushing the alleged attacker, identified Monday as 68-year-old David Chou.
“After others had been shot, he took it upon himself to charge across the room and to do everything he could to disable the assailant,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told reporters Monday.
Cheng’s actions allowed other congregants at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods to pin down the Chou and disarm him.
“He sacrificed himself so that others could live,” Spitzer said. “That irony, in a church, is not lost on me.”
Cheng was married with two children, according to Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes.
Clay Jones, one of Cheng’s patients, told The Post that while he was shocked to hear about the tragic manner in which his friend and physician was killed, he was not surprised Cheng died trying to save others.
“First of all, he was into martial arts and he knew how to handle himself,” Jones said. “He was also a very devout Christian and we would talk about our faith. The fact that he died in church saving lives, and that he did so courageously– that’s him. I just thought the world of him and I was hoping he would be my doctor for life.”
Jones, who is an author from Laguna Niguel, said the last time he saw Cheng, they talked about how some people never lose their faith, despite the heartbreaking challenges faced by many throughout life.
“We talked about what’s going on in the world and why it’s so difficult, especially now,” Jones said.
“We talked about the fact that we know we are all going to die, but our hope is there will be eternal life in Jesus,” added Jones. “[Cheng] was a doctor but he didn’t believe this physical life was all there is. Ironically, we were discussing that famous Bible verse, John 3:16, that says, ‘Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ Dr.Cheng absolutely believed in that.”
Officials said earlier that the church’s retired pastor, Billy Chang, also helped thwart the attack by whacking Chou in the head with a chair as others moved quickly to grab his gun. They held Chou down and hogtied his legs with extension cords, officials said.
Chou, a Las Vegas resident and US citizen who lived for some time in Taiwan, allegedly chained the doors to the church before opening fire on a luncheon with a 9mm handgun, killing Cheng and wounding five other congregants. He allegedy stashed extra ammunition and Molotov cocktails behind a curtain in the church and was carrying a second 9mm pistol.
Both pistols were purchased legally in Nevada, where Chou was a licensed security guard, officials said.
Chou was booked on one felony murder charge and five felony counts of attempted murder, and four counts of unlawful possession of explosives, and is likely to face additional charges as the investigation continues.
Barnes said the case is being investigated as a hate crime, given evidence found in Chou’s car of “his hatred of Taiwan.”
“Based on preliminary information in the investigation, it is believed the suspect involved was upset about political tensions between China and Taiwan,” Barnes said.
Officials said Chou drove to Orange County from Las Vegas on Saturday. They said they do not believe he knew anyone at the church, but targeted it as a representation of Taiwan.
“This is a manifestation of the ugliest part of our humanity that exists within our country today,” Barnes said.
Christine Johnson, with the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said Monday that a federal hate crimes investigation had been opened into the attack.
“That group of churchgoers displayed what we believe is exceptional heroism and bravery in intervening to stop the suspect,” Orange County Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said.
Two of the injured victims were husband and wife, their daughter told The Post.
The woman, who did not want to be identified, said her mother, 87, was standing next to her father, 92, when Chou allegedly aimed at the elderly couple.
“The bullet went through her clothes … it made holes on her top and her pants, and then it went into my dad’s leg,” the daughter said. “She was not hit. It went through his leg right above his knee. Thank God the bullet went through his leg and they stopped the bleeding. It didn’t hurt his bone. It just went in one side of his leg and came out the other.”
She said her parents are traumatized, but they are in stable condition at a hospital.
The California church shooting came a day after 10 people were killed in a race-hate attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
