Suspect in fatal shooting at Taiwanese church in California charged with hate crime
Source: NBC News
Suspect in fatal shooting at Taiwanese church in California charged with hate crime
Prosecutors amended their case against David Wenwei Chou, 68, of Las Vegas, claiming the May 15 attack was due to malice over "race, color, religion, nationality, or country of origin."
June 17, 2022, 3:05 PM EDT
By Andrew Blankstein and David K. Li
Southern California prosecutors on Friday added hate crime charges against the Las Vegas man who allegedly acted on his opposition to Taiwan and opened fire inside a church last month, killing one person and wounding five others.
David Chou, 68, had already been charged with a long list of felonies, including murder, in connection to the May 15 attack on members of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church as they worshipped at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods.
Prosecutors amended their complaint to add a hate crime enhancement, accusing Chou of killing church member Dr. John Cheng due to "his race, color, religion, nationality, or country of origin," according to a statement by the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/suspect-fatal-shooting-taiwanese-church-california-charged-hate-crime-rcna34147