Taiwanese American Citizens League and Taiwanese American Professionals – Orange County are heartbroken to hear about the senseless shooting yesterday at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church. It is always difficult to find the right words in a situation like this, but our thoughts go out to the loved ones of the victims and to everyone at the church, and we pray for the quick and full recovery of those who have been injured. 

In particular, we extend our deepest condolences to the family of Dr. John Cheng, 52, who had accompanied his mother to church that day and was killed while charging the shooter to disarm him. He will forever be remembered as a hero who selflessly put himself in danger to save the lives of countless others and prevented a tragedy from becoming even worse.

The Southern California Taiwanese community is very close-knit, and the local Christian Taiwanese community is even more so. A premeditated attack on a sacred house of worship in an area that so many Taiwanese call home was unthinkable to all of us. These victims are our family, our grandparents and parents, our aunties and uncles, our friends, our mentors, our community leaders. This heinous act reverberates through our entire community, not just the church-going community, and we all share in their pain and grief.

In the midst of this tragedy, we herald the bravery and quick thinking of Dr. Cheng, the pastor, and the congregants who subdued the shooter and prevented the deaths of even more people. It is perverse that this sort of bravery should even be necessary, but it is a testament to the selflessness and strength of the Taiwanese people. 

According to the Gun Violence Archive, this was the 201st mass shooting of 2022, out of 202 mass shootings as of the morning of May 16, 2022, another heart-breaking and staggering statistic which no one wants to be a part of. While this attack hits very close to home for many of us, we also extend our condolences to those affected by the recent tragedies in Buffalo, New York and Houston, Texas. These numbers are yet another sober reminder of the need for smarter gun control laws, destigmatizing mental health care, and expanding availability of mental health care services in multiple languages. 

As we continue to commemorate AAPI Heritage Month this May, we would like to remind everyone to stay safe and check in with your family and friends during this time. We know our community is strong and resilient and will press on in supporting one another through this challenging time. 

Our hearts and prayers go out to all affected by this inconceivable shooting. #TaiwaneseStrong

For further care and outreach, please see the resources listed below: 

GoFundMe for Dr. John Cheng’s Family

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-dr-chengs-family

GoFundMe for Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/fundraiser-for-shooting-in-socal-taiwanese-church

Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center:
https://www.aascsc.org

Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance:
https://www.ocapica.org/

Grief Counseling:
https://www.griefshare.org/

Crisis Counseling Support:

Saddleback Medical Center – (949-837-4500)
https://www.memorialcare.org/locations/saddleback-medical-center

Overseas Community Care Network of Orange County (714-754-9999)
https://www.occnoc.org

Coping in the Aftermath of a Shooting:
https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/coping-in-the-aftermath-of-a-shooting

台灣美國公民聯盟(TACL)

與台美菁英協會橙縣分會(TAP-OC)共同聲明

對於2022年5月15日發生於Laguna Woods日內瓦長老教會的爾灣台灣基督長老教會 (Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church at Geneva Presbyterian Church) 槍擊事件我們深表哀慟，並向受害者及其家屬致上最誠摯的關懷及萬分不捨，也祈望傷者無論身心靈都能早日康復。

我們想特別向鄭達志醫師 (Dr. John Cheng) 的親屬表達由衷的慰問與悼念，52歲的鄭醫師於事發時挺身阻擋槍手，但在過程中不幸傷重不治。鄭醫師是一位非凡的英雄，讓這場悲劇事件避免更多無辜的傷亡也拯救了無數的性命，他英勇無私的行為將永遠讓人追念。

南加州的台裔、台僑社群向來關係緊密，台灣人的基督教社團更是尤其，對其中的許多人來說神聖的教堂猶如第二個家，然而這個「家」竟然遭受如此的預謀攻擊，我們實在感到難以置信。當中受害者都是我們台美社群裡可敬的家人、長輩、前輩、朋友、社區領袖，這場令人錯愕且難以容忍的犯案不只讓基督社群，乃至於整個台美人社群都同樣感到悲痛與哀傷。

根據「槍枝暴力檔案」(Gun Violence Archive) 網站顯示，截至今年的5月16日，定義為有4人以上傷亡的大規模槍擊案，今年以來已有202件，而長老教會的事件是其中的第201件，是一個令人心碎、無辜、也無意參與的統計數字。我們亦向同一個週末遠在紐約水牛城和德州休士頓發生的槍擊案表示哀悼，這些事件都一再地提醒我們迫切需要有效的槍枝管制規範、心理疾病的去汙名化、和增加心理疾病的多元語言照顧服務。

在我們紀念五月美國亞太裔傳統月的同時，也提醒大家注意安全，更不要忘了關心身邊的家人親友，我們深信台美人社群將會持續堅強，並支持彼此度過這個艱難的時刻。

我們再次以誠心與祝禱敬致所有受這場不幸事件影響的台美人。
「讓仇恨止於昨日，明日我們將用更多的愛繼續關懷彼此。」

以下相關協助連結：

1. 給鄭達志醫師的家屬愛心募捐：
   https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-dr-chengs-family
2. 爾灣台灣基督長老教會槍擊事件愛心募捐：
   https://www.gofundme.com/f/fundraiser-for-shooting-in-socal-taiwanese-church
3. 亞美老人服務中心：
   https://www.aascsc.org/
4. 橘郡亞太裔社區聯盟：
   https://www.ocapica.org/
5. 悲傷輔導：
   https://www.griefshare.org/
6. 災後心理輔導：
   1. Saddleback 醫學中心 (949-837-4500)
      https://www.memorialcare.org/locations/saddleback-medical-center
   2. 橙縣急難救助協會 (714-754-9999)
      https://www.occnoc.org
7. 英語文章「槍擊案後的心理應對」：
   https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/coping-in-the-aftermath-of-a-shooting

To contact TACL, please email us at tacl@tacl.org