West Covina Press_5/19/2022

Page 1

SoCal Pup Play

Scan the QR code to be directed to the nomination website!

VISIT WESTCOVINAPRESS.COM

Thursday, May 19- May 25, 2022

Local. Relevant. Trusted.

Man, 68, charged with capital murder after accused involvement in Laguna Woods church shooting

VOL. 10,

NO. 70

City Attorney Feuer drops out of LA mayoral race, endorses Rep. Bass

By City News Service

By City News Service

A

L

68-year-old Chinese immigrant accused of opening fire on a Taiwanese congregation inside a Laguna Woods church, killing one person and injuring five others in an attack allegedly motivated by hatred for Taiwan, was charged Tuesday with capital murder and nine other felonies. David Wenwei Chou, of Las Vegas, made a brief appearance in court Tuesday afternoon on the charges stemming from the shooting, which occurred around 1:25 p.m. Sunday at the Geneva Presbyterian Church, 24301 El Toro Road. Chou's arraignment, however, was delayed until June 10. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Chou was charged with 10 counts, most notably murder for the killing of Dr. John Cheng, who authorities said was killed when he charged the gunman and attempted to disarm him -- likely saving the lives of countless others inside the

use of a firearm. Spitzer said "these are very, very serious charges," so his office will conduct a thorough review of the case before deciding whether to seek the death

os Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer dropped out of the race for mayor Tuesday and announced his support for his former opponent, Rep. Karen Bass. Feuer joined Bass at a news conference in Encino to formally endorse her campaign. "I want to thank the city attorney for his endorsement today," Bass said. "Our city is at a crossroads: will we come together to bring Los Angeles to a more just future? Or will we go backwards with strategies that we know will not work and surrender to fear? I'm running for mayor to lead this city to a brighter future for everyone." The end of Feuer's campaign comes just five days after Councilman Joe Buscaino ended his run for mayor and endorsed billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso. Caruso and Bass are the two front runners in the race, according to recent polls. Bass' team released

See Church shooting Page 12

See Feuer Page 9

The Orange County Sheriff's Department and multiple other agencies held a press conference Sunday. | Screenshot from OCSD video

church at the time. The murder charge includes a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, which opens Chou to a possible death sentence or, in the alternative, life in prison without the possibil-

ity of parole. Spitzer noted that Chou "did everything he could to fit in" as he mingled with parishioners before pulling out a pair of semiautomatic handguns and firing into the crowd during a post- services luncheon to

honor a visiting pastor. "This case is about a person concealing themselves in plain view," Spitzer said. The murder charge also includes a sentencing enhancement of personal


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.