1 Dead, Five Wounded in California Church Shooting

One person is dead and five people were injured Sunday (May 15) in a shooting inside Geneva Presbyterian Church in the south Orange County city of Laguna Woods, authorities said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department received calls just before 1:30 p.m. Pacific time, saying a shooting was underway on the 24000 block of El Toro Road.

The church is home to at least two congregations, including the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, according to the church website. About 30-40 members of the Taiwanese congregation were in the church at the time of the shooting, Undersheriff Jeff Hallock told reporters.

Hallock said at a 5 p.m. press conference that the shooting happened at a lunch banquet following the morning service. He said a group of churchgoers “hogtied” the man, according to Hallock, tying his legs with an extension cord. Two handguns were taken from the shooter before the deputies arrived.

The suspect, an Asian man in his 60s who does not live in the community, was not injured. The motive is not yet clear, nor whether the man has any connection to the church.

“Churchgoers displayed exceptional heroism and bravery in intervening to stop the suspect,” said Hallock. 

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All victims were adults and were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds, authorities said. One victim died at the scene, four were critically wounded, and one sustained minor injuries.

The injured victims—which included four men and one woman who were Asian—ranged in age from 66 to 92 years old. The identity of the fatal victim will be released pending coroner identification and notification of next of kin.  

Laguna Woods spans about 3.1 square miles with more than 90% of its residents—an estimated 18,000—living in the 55-and-older community of Laguna Woods Village.

The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the investigation.