A man opened fire at a southern California church lunch reception, killing one person and wounding five senior citizens before a pastor hit the gunman on the head with a chair and parishioners hog-tied him with electrical cords, reports the Associated Press. Jerry Chen, 72, a longtime congregant at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, saw church members screaming, running and ducking under tables. “I knew someone was shooting,” he said. “I was very, very scared. I ran out the kitchen door to call 911.”
While a motive for the shooting was not immediately disclosed, investigators don’t believe the gunman — an Asian man in his 60s — lives in the community. Chen, who called 911 from the church’s parking lot, said he was in such a state of shock that he was unable to tell the operator his location. “I had to ask someone else for the address,” he said. Chen said a 40 congregants had gathered for a luncheon to welcome their former Pastor Billy Chang, who had served the church for 20 years. Chang moved back to Taiwan two years ago. This was his first time back stateside. When the gunman stopped to reload, Chang hit him on the head with a chair while others moved quickly to grab his gun. The majority of those inside the church at the time were believed to be of Taiwanese descent.