Suspected California church gunman is Taiwanese immigrant, Taipei official says
- The suspect – originally identified by US authorities as being from mainland China – has been charged with one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder
- The gunman left notes in his vehicle concerning ‘his hatred of the Taiwanese people’, said Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes
02:16
California church shooting motivated by hate against Taiwanese, police say
The information contradicted reports issued by law enforcement officials in California on Monday that the assailant was from mainland China.
The suspect in Sunday’s attack “had an absolute bias against the Taiwanese people, its country, as a Chinese or mainland national”, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said on Monday.
News of the shooting, which was initially framed as a matter of mainland Chinese anger directed against Taiwan – a self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory – trended on many US media outlets on Monday, just behind news of a deadlier shooting in Buffalo, New York.
A report issued on Monday by Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes called the California attack a “politically motivated hate incident” and said the suspect left notes in his vehicle related to “his hatred of the Taiwanese people”.
