Posted: May 16, 2022, 8:50 a.m.
Last update: May 16, 2022, 9:06 a.m.
The man accused in this weekend’s fatal shooting at a California church was once a security guard on the Las Vegas Strip, a local TV station reported. It was not immediately clear where he worked on the main gaming thoroughfare.
David Chou, 68, is believed to have injured five people in the church tragedy. Another man was shot and killed, police said. When Chou’s identity was revealed, reports emerged of his ties to Las Vegas and Nevada.
He had a Nevada security guard license, reports said. He worked for five security companies in Nevada between 2014 and 2021, according to a document released by The Times reporter.
KSNVa local television station, reported that his guard duty took him to the Strip, based on statements from a former Las Vegas neighbor.
The neighbor, identified as Balmore Orellana, said Chou was last seen at his Las Vegas residence at an apartment complex in February, KSNV mentioned.
May have lived in car
Orellana recalled that Chou’s life began to fall apart over the past year, the report adds.
Chou once co-owned the building, located near Twain Avenue and Decatur Boulevard, where they lived, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He sold it later. Chou may have been living in his car for the past few months, Orellana said KSNV.
Orellana also recalled that Chou owned a gun when he lived in the apartment. In fact, Chou apparently accidentally fired a gun into the residence.
“He came to see us… There was a bullet in one of my rooms,” Orellana told the TV station.
One killed, five injured
During Sunday’s tragic shooting, Chou reportedly chained the doors of the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods before firing multiple bullets at worshipers who were having lunch, the New York Post reported.
He was reportedly armed with a 9mm handgun. A man at lunch, identified as Dr. John Cheng, 52, was shot and died. He had run towards Chou in an effort to protect the other devotees.
Five other victims were also injured in the church. They survived.
Aware of the risk of violence, a man believed to be the church’s former pastor, Billy Chang, allegedly used a chair to hit Chou in the head. Other worshipers then grabbed his gun.
They were able to tie his legs with electrical cords. The police rushed to the church and apprehended Chou.
It was later revealed that Chou allegedly hid ammunition and Molotov cocktails in the church, the To post mentioned. He was also armed with a second 9mm handgun, the report adds.
Both guns were purchased legally in Nevada, the To post mentioned.
Chou apparently drove from Las Vegas to Orange County, Calif., on Saturday, the To post added.
On Monday, Chou was charged with murder, along with five counts of attempted murder and four counts of unlawful possession of explosives. Additional charges are possible, such as a hate crime, according to reports.
He was being held late today (May 16) on $1million bail in a California jail.
Dispute over Taiwan
Chou had previously lived in Taiwan. He apparently had a grievance with the Taiwanese community, police said, The Guardian reports the newspaper. Tensions between Taiwan and China persist.
The religious lunch was organized by the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church of Irvine, which reveres the Presbyterian in Geneva, the report adds.
