US man indicted on 98 hate crime charges for Taiwanese church shooting

David Chou, 69, is facing nearly 100 counts of federal hate crimes for the May 2022 shooting at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in California that left one person dead and five others injured. Witnesses remember the victim, John Cheng, as the man who charged at Chou, allowing others to intervene. Chou faces charges including obstructing religious beliefs and violating hate crime laws. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.

The US Department of Justice has indicted 69-year-old David Chou on nearly 100 counts of federal hate crimes for his involvement in the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church shooting that took place in May 2022.

The shooting killed one person and injured five others, and Chou is facing charges including obstructing free exercise of religious beliefs by force and violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Witnesses remember the victim who died, John Cheng, as the man who charged at Chou, allowing other parishioners to intervene. If convicted, Chou faces the possibility of life imprisonment or even the death penalty.