Witness details moments inside Geneva Presbyterian Church during Sunday's fatal shooting
As a small Orange County community continues to reel in the wake of a tragic mass shooting at a local church on Sunday, witnesses have begun to detail the horrifying moments leading up to the event that left one man dead and five wounded.
CBS reporters spoke with one man, who was not only inside of Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods when the shooting occurred, but who put his own life on the line to prevent further carnage inside of his place of worship.
Michael Tsai was one of at least 40 people gathered inside of the church as part of a lunch banquet following a morning service. He noted how it was the first time in more than two years that they were able to get together for lunch due to the coronavirus pandemic.
They had gathered to honor their former pastor, Pastor Chang, who had moved to Taiwan two years earlier and had returned to visit.
Authorities have since noted that due to the nature of the gathering, the shooting suspect was able to intermingle with the crowd without being noticed, as he planted incendiary devices around the church premises and hid a bag of ammunition behind a curtain.
The lunch had just about finished when Tsai noticed the man locking one of the doors.
"Used a chain and pad lock," Tsai detailed. "Locked the door."
He asked the man why he was locking the door, but got no response.
"I tried to find the exit from the other door. Then he started shooting," he continued. "I heard the noise: 'Bang. Bang'"
He quickly ran to hide behind a column inside the church's social hall where the luncheon was held.
Tsai is one of the congregants now being described as heroes by law enforcement, whose combined efforts to stop the gunman resulted in his being hogtied and detained by the time authorities arrived.
"That group of churchgoers displayed what we believe is exceptional heroism and bravery in intervening to stop the suspect. They undoubtedly prevented additional injuries and fatalities," said Orange County Sheriff's Department Undersheriff Jeff Hallock on Saturday.
"As soon as I saw the shooting stop, I saw Pastor Chang coming up from the side so I just ran out to put him down together," he said, noting that Chang was armed with a chair "The other member tied him up with a belt, and then Mrs. Chang bring the cable."
He held his hands on the suspect's neck as three other members held him down and tied him up with the extension cord and belt.
"Fortunately we get him down. Otherwise, if he use the other gun... I think the bullet magazine is longer. Maybe more bullet," he noted. "We took the gun away and somebody just take it. The other gun, after I moved a little bit, I saw it on the floor, so I take and put it away."
The shooting victim has since been identified as Dr. John Cheng, a 52-year-old Orange County physician who charged at the gunman, allowing the other members to subdue him.
Cheng was only in attendance on Sunday because he wanted to bring his mother to church to greet her former pastor.
