New Delhi: Just one day after a gunman killed 10 people at a grocery store in New York state, another shooting incident took place at a church near Los Angeles on Sunday wherein one person died, while five people were injured, out of which four were revealed to be “critically wounded”.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) said that “it happened inside Geneva Presbyterian Church located in the 24000 block of El Toro Road just before 1:30 pm. None of the victims have been identified.”
At a Sunday afternoon press conference, officials said the suspect, described as an Asian adult in his 60s, was stopped and hogtied by the legs with an extension cord by a group of churchgoers after the suspect opened fire at a lunch banquet following church service.
At least two weapons were taken from the suspect by the parishioners, officials said. Following the incident, O.C. sheriff’s bomb K-9 teams swept the church grounds to ensure there were no secondary devices.
“At this time, we do not know what the suspect’s motive may be or whether he had an intended target, or whether this is even a hate-related incident,” O.C. Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said at Sunday’s press conference. “Members from the trauma intervention program also are on scene to provide crisis counseling to the congregants.”
The FBI has joined this ongoing investigation.
(Vinayak)