The California Church shooting on Sunday was reportedly motivated by the political conflict between China and Taiwan, according to authorities.

ABC News noted that the suspect's identity is 68-year-old David Chou, a Las Vegas resident. He is seen to be charged with one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder. Chou is currently being held on $1 million bail, according to jail records.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation opened a federal hate crimes investigation into the California church shooting.

Officials noted that the gunman is Chinese but an American citizen. He was reported to live alone in Las Vegas and has a wife and child who are not in the United States.

Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said that authorities believe the gunman's anger started when he lived in Taiwan, where he felt he was an outsider, with his anti-Taiwan views not accepted.

The Orange County sheriff added that investigators found writings in Chou's car describing his hatred for Taiwan, clarifying that they were not a manifesto, but rather "notes."

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California Church Shooting Suspect

Authorities said that Chou drove to the church and entered during a luncheon, shooting a group of largely elderly congregants, according to a USA Today News report.

The California church shooting gunman had secured the doors of the church with chain and tried to disable the locks with superglue, Barnes noted.

However, the Orange County sheriff said it is not yet clear why that specific church was targeted.

Police identified the victim who died as John Cheng. He was shot after attempting to disarm Chou.

Barnes said that his actions allowed other churchgoers to subdue the suspect and hogtie his legs with an extension cord and take away his weapons.

Around 50 people were inside the church when the shooting happened. Officials said that it had just finished morning services and gathered for an afternoon luncheon.

Barnes added that the churchgoers acted quickly and many lives would have been lost if not for the "concentrated effort of the members of that church."

The sheriff said that the gunman was a security guard from Las Vegas and was not associated with any specific religion.

China-Taiwan Conflict

The main issue between China and Taiwan is the matter of reunification, with China's President Xi Jinping noting that reunification with Taiwan "must be fulfilled," and not ruling out the use of force to achieve the goal.

BBC News reported that China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be part of the country again.

However, Taiwan proclaims itself as an independent country with its own constitution and democratically-elected officials.

The split between the two countries took place about after World War II, when there was fighting in mainland China between nationalist government forces and the Chinese Communist Party.

The communists won in 1949 led by Mao Zeodong and took control of Beijing.

Meanwhile, the nationalist party, known as Kuomintang, fled to nearby Taiwan. It remained Taiwan's most prominent political parties ever since.

Taiwan's defense minister said that relations with China are the "worst" they have been for 40 years.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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