A US doctor has been hailed as a hero after he gave his life to stop a gunman firing upon a church congregation.
The Orange County Sherriff’s Department hailed the doctor’s ultimate sacrifice following the tragic shooting, which took place at a the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California, on Sunday afternoon.
John Cheng, MD, 52, was attending a church lunch with his mother when 68-year-old David Chou chained the doors shut and opened fire on a group of elderly parishioners.
Acting without hesitation, Dr Cheng, a prominent sports medicine physician, quickly tackled the suspect, allowing church members to restrain him, according to a statement from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
When he leapt to the defence, Dr Cheng sustained multiple gunshot wounds and succumbed to his injuries. He leaves behind his wife and two children, as well as devastated colleagues at his practice, who referred to him as a protector, ABC 7 reported.
“Officials said that were it not for the actions of Dr Cheng, there most certainly would have been many more lives lost,” said the California Medical Association in a statement released a day after the shooting.
“Our nation continues to be plagued by an epidemic of gun violence,” they wrote. “Physicians as healers are often on the front lines of these tragic events, treating the wounds of the victims of gun violence.”
Five other victims sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to local hospitals for treatment. The suspected shooter, who is in custody and being charged with murder and attempted murder, allegedly drove from Las Vegas to attack the church, at which members of the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church have had a space since 2009. He knew no-one at the church but spent about an hour mingling with them to gain their trust, NPR reported.
The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, since the suspect was reportedly upset about political tensions involving China and Taiwan, the sheriff’s department noted.
At a media briefing, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer praised Dr Cheng’s actions.
Dr Cheng knew that there were many parishioners at risk, Spitzer said. He charged across the room, and did everything he possibly could to disable the assailant. “He sacrificed himself so that others could live,” he added.
Don Barnes, the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner, was in agreement, saying that “there is no doubt that Dr. Cheng’s actions that day saved the lives of many other church members. He is a hero and will be remembered by this community as such.”
Source: MedPage Today
