EXCLUSIVE: California church shooting suspect was “very negative,' held controversial political views, and disapproved the U.S. and Taiwanese governments, acquaintances say.
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.
“He would sometimes say he had a different opinion about the government,” said Esther Pan, the association’s president. “But we would never fight with those with different opinions.” Chou was charged with special circumstances murder, meaning that if he is convicted, he could be sentenced to 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 possessing 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.
“When we spoke to him, he was very negative about life. He was complaining about the U.S. government, complaining about the Taiwanese government,” an organization member said. The acquaintances said the experience left him frustrated with law enforcement. 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. The acquaintances said he had been vocal about the interactions he had with law enforcement. Pan similarly said he had mentioned before that he “felt very, very misunderstood.”
Pan, an active member of the local Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, said she invited him to celebrations, adding that he had told her in the past that he identifies as a Christian. Chou went to events several times in years past, sometimes taking his wife.
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