{"id":216909,"date":"2022-06-12T14:00:07","date_gmt":"2022-06-12T21:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=216909"},"modified":"2022-06-12T16:09:15","modified_gmt":"2022-06-12T23:09:15","slug":"las-vegas-ex-security-guard-remains-in-custody-for-deadly-church-shooting-spree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-ex-security-guard-remains-in-custody-for-deadly-church-shooting-spree\/","title":{"rendered":"Las Vegas Ex-Security Guard Remains in Custody for Deadly Church Shooting Spree"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 68-year-old Las Vegas man accused of killing one man and wounding five others in a Southern California church last month remains behind bars this weekend without bail. If convicted, he could be executed. A public defender was appointed to represent him on a variety of serious charges.<\/p>\n

\"David
David Wenwei Chou confers with Santa Ana, Calif. Deputy Public Defender Jennifer Ryan in a California courtroom. He is charged in last month’s deadly church shooting. (Image: MediaNews Group, Orange County Register<\/em> via Getty Images\/Mark Rightmire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The counts against David Wenwei Chou<\/a> include special circumstances murder, five counts of attempted murder, and four counts of unlawful possession of explosives, according to the Orange County Register<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In recent years, he worked as a security guard in Las Vegas for several security firms, the Los Angeles Times <\/em>has reported. At least one of his employers provided security to casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, the report added.<\/p>\n

No Plea Entered<\/h2>\n

On Friday, he appeared in Orange County Superior Court. Superior Court Judge Cynthia Herrera delayed his arraignment until Aug. 19. He has yet to enter a plea on the charges. When he reappears in court, his attorney could try to have the judge set bail.<\/p>\n

\n

Friday\u2019s hearing lasted about two minutes. A Mandarin interpreter translated for Chou. He was held in a holding cage at the Santa Ana courtroom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

On May 15, Chou allegedly fired multiple shots during a Taiwanese church service luncheon held in Laguna Woods\u2019 Geneva Presbyterian church. He allegedly chained and nailed doors shut before shooting<\/a> at the victims, the Associated Press reported. Chou even used Super Glue to fasten the doors, authorities claim.<\/p>\n

Parishioners were able to restrain him until police officers arrived. Realizing the violent risk, a man believed to be the church\u2019s former pastor, Billy Chang, reportedly used a chair to strike Chou in the head. Other congregants then grabbed his firearm. They were able to tie his legs using electrical cords<\/p>\n

Later, authorities found additional ammunition, as well as devices similar to Molotov cocktails, in bags hidden in the church.<\/p>\n

Police recovered two semi-automatic 9 mm firearms from the church, the Las Vegas Review-Journal<\/em> said. They were legally purchased.<\/p>\n

\n

The man killed in the attack was identified as Dr. John Cheng, 52. Five others victims required treatment at a local hospital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Grievances About Taiwan<\/h2>\n

Chou was born in Taiwan. He spent his youth there, too. His anger with Taiwan and its tension with China may have been a motive in the shooting, law enforcement officials have revealed. He apparently had a grievance with the Taiwanese community, too.<\/p>\n

\n

Chou apparently drove from Las Vegas to Orange County, California hours before the shooting. He had no prior ties to the church.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Chou once co-owned the apartment building in which he lived, located near Twain Avenue and Decatur Boulevard, according to the Review-Journal<\/em>. He later sold it. Chou may have been living in his car in recent months, KSNV<\/em>, a Las Vegas TV station, reported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A 68-year-old Las Vegas man accused of killing one man and wounding five others in a Southern California church last month remains behind bars this weekend without bail. If convicted, he could be executed. A public defender was appointed to represent him on a variety of serious charges. The counts against David Wenwei Chou include […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":216912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLas Vegas Ex-Security Guard Remains in Jail for Church Shooting Spree<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A man accused of killing a doctor and wounding five others in a California church remains in custody. 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If convicted, he could be executed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-ex-security-guard-remains-in-custody-for-deadly-church-shooting-spree\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-12T21:00:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-06-12T23:09:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/court-scene.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2027\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"839\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ed Silverstein\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@casinoorgedsilv\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ed Silverstein\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-ex-security-guard-remains-in-custody-for-deadly-church-shooting-spree\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-ex-security-guard-remains-in-custody-for-deadly-church-shooting-spree\/\",\"name\":\"Las Vegas Ex-Security Guard Remains in Jail for Church Shooting Spree\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-ex-security-guard-remains-in-custody-for-deadly-church-shooting-spree\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-ex-security-guard-remains-in-custody-for-deadly-church-shooting-spree\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/court-scene.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-12T21:00:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-06-12T23:09:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/b3771b02527bcbda9af984b9b1ff098e\"},\"description\":\"A man accused of killing a doctor and wounding five others in a California church remains in custody. 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