Church shooting suspect was ‘very negative’, took issue with Taiwan and US govt, acquaintances say

Following Sunday’s deadly shooting at a Taiwanese church in Southern California, those who interacted with suspect David Chou are sharing past interactions, trying to make sense of the tragedy.

Acquaintances who had met Chou, 68, several times over the years through the Las Vegas Taiwan Association reflected on Sunday’s shooting, which killed one person and wounded five others. They described him as “very negative” and recalled his controversial political views and his disapproval of US and Taiwanese law enforcement and governments.

Chou, a Las Vegas resident who was born in Taiwan, has been charged with one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder in the shooting at a brunch organized by Irvine’s Taiwan Presbyterian Church, which police have described as a “politically motivated hate incident.” Police say investigators found notes in Chou’s car showing that he had “hatred towards the Taiwanese people.” They said Chou, accused of attacking congregants during a celebratory luncheon for Pastor Billy Chang, who had just returned from Taiwan, “was upset about political tensions between China and Taiwan.”

While Chou was mostly friendly with the association members and sought companionship through them, several of them said that he would sometimes share thoughts on China-Taiwan unification.

“Sometimes he would say that he had a different opinion about the government,” said Esther Pan, president of the association. “But we would never fight with those who have different opinions.”

Chou’s public defender, Tania Vallejo, did not respond to a request for comment.

The problem dates back to the Chinese Civil War, a struggle for control of China between nationalists, known as the Kuomintang, and the Chinese Communist Party. The Communist Party took control of the mainland, establishing the nation as the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The Kuomintang leadership fled to Taiwan, where it installed the ROC government in exile. The PRC considers the ROC to be illegal and has maintained that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory, even though the island is self-governing.

Taiwan Presbyterian Church in particular, it has historically aligned itself with Taiwanese pro-independence views. In a 1977 Declaration of Human Rights, the church wrote that it hoped then-President Jimmy Carter would “uphold the principles of human rights” and guarantee “the security, independence, and freedom of the people of Taiwan.”

Tensions, which have risen and fallen over the years, increased after the 2016 election in Taiwan. China has put increasing pressure on Taiwan to “return” or unify under its jurisdiction.

Another member of the association, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, added that “this will definitely be on the minds of the elders here.”

“A lot of the participants were very shocked, because it could have happened here, locally,” he said.

Chou was charged with special circumstances murder, which means if convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said. He was also charged with five counts of attempted murder and four counts of possession of an explosive device. Due to the special circumstances murder charge, Chou will be held without bail, the district attorney said. His initial bail was set at $1 million.

The association member said he met Chou years ago at a potluck organized by the organization. The acquaintance said that Chou moved to Las Vegas and bought a property to rent to tenants.

Chou has been to several of the association’s meetings, the acquaintance said. Most people in the organization identify as “pro-Taiwan independence,” recognizing the island as a separate country from the People’s Republic of China, Pan said. However, Chou has participated in “pro-unification” movement groups. ” to recognize Taiwan as part of China, the three sources said. Those in the pro-unification movement advocate not only for a union between Taiwan and China, but also for Taiwan to come under the rule of the Chinese government.

Politics rarely showed up at gatherings, where people often sampled each other’s homemade dishes and exchanged stories about family. While Chou did not actively convey his views, there were occasional glimpses of his beliefs, three sources agreed.

“When we talked to him, he was very negative about life. He was complaining about the US government, he was complaining about the Taiwan government,” said a member of the organization.

The wife of the acquaintance, who also belongs to the association and asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said that Chou took the microphone at a seminar in 2020 and, at one point, proclaimed: “We are all Chinese.” The sentiment was abnormal for anyone in the group to say, she said.

“At the time, I felt like it was weird. You come from Taiwan. How can you say: ‘We are Chinese’? she remembered. “But I didn’t pay too much attention and I didn’t talk too much about it.”

Two sources said he also expressed discontent with the US government, having particular trouble with law enforcement because of an experience he had a decade ago. The Las Vegas Chinese News Network, a local media outlet, wrote that Chou had been attacked by tenants and suffered serious injuries, an event all three sources recounted.

Acquaintances said the experience left him frustrated with police. The Clark County, Nevada, District Attorney’s Office confirmed that there was a case against two people, in which Chou was named as the victim. Acquaintances said that he had spoken about interactions he had with law enforcement. Pan similarly said that he had mentioned before that he “felt very, very misunderstood.”

“That’s when I first heard him say that he really didn’t respect police officers,” she said. “He doesn’t respect the police.”

Despite differing opinions, all acquaintances said they tried to make Chou feel welcome, from asking about his family life to sitting with him at performances.

“He spoke very well to us, happy to speak with us and meet for lunch,” said one member. “But inside, he still thinks that Taiwan is China.”

Pan, an active member of the local Taiwan Presbyterian Church, said she invited him to the celebrations, adding that he had told her in the past that he identifies as a Christian. Chou has attended events several times in recent years, sometimes with his wife.

Pan said that Chou seemed to enjoy the events at the church, particularly the musical performances. Chou’s wife, who had been diagnosed with cancer, underwent treatment in Taiwan and remained there, separated from him for much of the coronavirus pandemic, the three mentioned.

The events have left a scar on the community.

“Why did this happen to our church?” Pan asked through tears. “We want to pray. We pray for Dr. Cheng, the young doctor who died. We pray for the injured people. We still seek the will of God. And we hope that God will release the burden of those victims. And also the sons of David. We pray for them too. They are also victims.”

Jessica Drun, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, said tensions persist in Taiwan between its two main parties, the Kuomintang and the Democratic Progressive Party, over Taiwan’s relationship with mainland China.

While cross-strait engagement had once increased, the election of President Tsai Ing-wen from the Democratic Progressive Party sparked animosity from Beijing. Tsai has maintained that Taiwan exists as an independent nation, saying “there should be absolutely no illusion that the Taiwanese people will bow to pressure.”

Although Tsai said she was willing to continue the positive momentum in communication with mainland China achieved by previous administrations, China considered it insufficient, Drun said.

“Since then, they have toughened the rhetoric towards Taiwan to say, ‘We will do anything to bring them back under our control,'” Drun said, adding that Taiwan has never been under the jurisdiction of the PRC. “That rhetoric has perhaps shaped people’s opinions.”

in a cheep On Tuesday, Tsai offered her condolences to the victims and condemned the shooting, saying, “Violence is never the answer.”

According an analysis by the Brookings Institution, the overwhelming majority of Taiwanese reject unification. And a large majority does not support immediate “formal” independence either. Chou’s acquaintances in the Las Vegas area said those who support unification are also in the minority.

As the community continues to process the shooting, Drun also cautioned against overly politicizing the tragedy.

“I don’t want the narrative to be co-opted and the tragedies of these people to be co-opted by an agenda in general, but also an agenda that hurts Asian Americans,” Drun said. “I think it’s important to focus on the victims.”