California Shooting Suspect Mailed Diary to Chinese-Language Newspaper Before Attack

Law enforcement officials respond to a shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, Calif., on May 15, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The man who allegedly killed one person and injured five more in a mass shooting at a Taiwanese church gathering in Laguna Woods, California, mailed stacks of handwritten letters—titled “Diary of an Independence-Destroying Angel”—to a Chinese-language newspaper’s Los Angeles office before the tragic incident.

World Journal reported on May 18 that their office had received seven volumes of written content on May 16 from David Chou—the alleged shooter, who was “politically motivated” by political tensions between China and Taiwan, according to officials.

The media outlet also stated that the documents had been turned over to the police and that it won’t report on their content.

A man looks online at the World Journal newspaper in Irvine, Calif., on May 19, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Chou is a native of Taiwan and a U.S. citizen living in Las Vegas. He drove to California the night before the attack at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, where a Taiwanese service was being held on May 15.

Authorities found in Chou’s car notes written in Chinese characters disapproving of Taiwan’s independence from China.

The Epoch Times also reported on May 18 that Chou was once a member of a U.S.-based Chinese Community Party (CCP) front group that has a mission to counter separatist movements, including those calling for Taiwan’s independence. The CCP deems Taiwan to be part of its territory, even though the regime has never ruled the self-governing island.

Investigators are still uncertain why Chou targeted the church, which wasn’t the only place with Taiwanese concentration.

Before the shooting, Chou chained, nailed, and glued the exits shut to prevent parishioners from fleeing.

Dr. John Cheng, 52, charged at Chou shortly after he started shooting. Cheng was fatally shot multiple times and was later honored by authorities as a “hero” who potentially saved many more lives.

A photo of John Cheng, who was killed during a shooting at a Laguna Woods church, is on display at a press conference in Santa Ana, Calif., on May 16, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Members of the congregation were able to subdue Chou following Cheng’s act before the police arrived shortly after.

Chou’s arraignment will be on June 10. He remains jailed without bail.