Senior officials from Taiwan’s government attended memorial services on Sunday to pay respects to Dr. John Cheng.
Cheng was shot and killed on May 15 in Laguna Woods, California after a gunman opened fire on a church congregation. Witnesses say Cheng charged at the gunman and tried to disarm him. Local police say he was a “hero” and his actions saved “numerous” lives.
On Sunday, Taiwan’s representative in the United States, Hsiao Bi-khim, joined mourners from the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church to remember Cheng. And in Taiwan, Vice President Lai Ching-te took part in a Presbyterian church prayer meeting in Cheng’s memory.
President Tsai Ing-wen praised Cheng in a Facebook post on Sunday, calling him
“courageous” and “selfless”. She condemned the shooting and called for people to unite against hatred and violence.