Another violent act with firearms has shaken the United States: in a church in the US state of California, one person was killed on Sunday and five others were injured, some seriously, by gunshots, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Just the day before, ten people were killed in an apparently racially motivated gun attack in Buffalo, New York. US President Joe Biden announced a visit to Buffalo on Tuesday.
The shots in the church on Sunday were fired in the town of Laguna Woods, about 70 kilometers south of Los Angeles, the sheriff’s office said on Twitter. Four people were seriously injured and another person was slightly injured. “One victim died at the scene,” the office said. All victims are therefore adults. One person was arrested and a firearm was secured.
According to initial police findings, the attack was apparently carried out by a man of Asian descent. Jeff Hallock of the Orange County police said at a press conference on Sunday that the 60-year-old’s motive is still being investigated. According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, the victims were also predominantly of Asian origin, with most of them from Taiwan. One person was killed and five injured, some seriously, in the gun attack on Sunday.
The police received an emergency call from the Presbyterian Church at 1:26 p.m. (local time). Rescue workers rushed to the church to treat the injured. Pictures on the Internet showed emergency vehicles parked in front of a church.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said it is working with local authorities to monitor the situation. “No one should be afraid to go to worship. Our thoughts are with the victims,” ​​the office said.
Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter, the Orange County seat in the House of Representatives in Washington, spoke of “shattering and disturbing news, especially less than a day after the Buffalo shooting.” She added: “This shouldn’t be our new normal.”
Ten people were killed and three others injured in an apparently racially motivated gun attack on a supermarket in Buffalo on Saturday. An 18-year-old white man, who initially live-streamed his act, opened fire with an assault rifle in front of and inside the Buffalo city store. Most of the victims were African American. According to the police, the perpetrator had previously scouted out the area, which was predominantly inhabited by blacks. He was arrested and charged with murder.
US President Joe Biden wants to travel to Buffalo with his wife on Tuesday to express his condolences to the people there, as the White House announced on Sunday (local time). In a statement, the gun attack there was condemned as “senseless and appalling”. Biden had previously called on his compatriots to break the spiral of hatred and violence in the face of the violence in Buffalo.
According to US media reports, the authorities are examining a 180-page “manifesto” by the Buffalo perpetrator, which is said to have been published on the Internet before the attack, in which the man explains his intentions and his racist motives. The “New York Times” reported, citing this text, that the attacker was “inspired” by the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, which killed 51 people in 2019.
Shocked residents gathered for a vigil in front of the supermarket. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown attended a service Sunday. Hochul described the violence as an “execution of a military nature”. James, who is African American, said the attack was “domestic terrorism, plain and simple.” Brown emphasized that the perpetrator had specifically wanted to wipe out “as many black lives as possible”.
