Church-goers ‘hog-tie’ gunman who shot at Taiwanese congregation in California
- One person killed, five others wounded after gunman opened fire on a Taiwanese church congregation in Southern California
- Pastor and church-goers hailed for their bravery after subduing gunman, detaining him with electrical cords
A man opened fire during a lunch reception at a Southern California church, killing one person and wounding five senior citizens before a pastor hit the gunman on the head with a chair and parishioners hog-tied him with electrical cords.
Jerry Chen had just stepped into the kitchen of his church’s fellowship hall around 1.30pm on Sunday when he heard the gunshots.
Chen, 72, a longtime congregant at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, peeked around the corner and saw church members screaming, running and ducking under tables.
“I knew someone was shooting,” he said. “I was very, very scared. I ran out the kitchen door to call 911. ”
Officials said the shooting ended after the gunman killed one man and wounded five senior citizens before worshippers hog-tied his legs with an electrical cord until deputies arrived. Four of the five people wounded suffered critical gunshot injuries.
While a motive for the shooting at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in the city of Laguna Woods was not immediately disclosed, investigators don’t believe the gunman - an Asian man in his 60s whose name was not immediately released - lives in the community.