Calif. physician who fought gunman recalled as selfless
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — He was known by all as simply Dr. John, the quiet, calm physician who mentored kids in Kung Fu, finding time between patient appointments to encourage people to learn self-defense. So it was no surprise to friends and colleagues that John Cheng spent his final moments saving others by rushing a gunman who opened fire on a Southern California church of mostly older Taiwanese people, including Cheng’s recently widowed mother.
The 52-year-old father of two was known for doing all he could to protect people. He was concerned enough about the growing number of mass shootings that he had taken safety courses to prepare himself for a situation like the one that cost him his life Sunday.
“It was characteristic of Dr. Cheng to charge forward at that gunman,” said Erica Triplett, Cheng’s office manager. “It does not surprise any of us. Dr. Cheng exemplified what he was built for — his heroism that saved so many people not only at that church, but throughout his career.”
The family and sports medicine physician was like family to the staff and he encouraged them to learn kung fu, believing it was important for people to know self-defense, his friends and colleagues said. He learned how to handle a gun for that same reason.
That preparedness combined with Cheng’s serene disposition likely gave him a proclivity for acting heroically, according to active shooter experts. Most people in those situations freeze.
Authorities credit Cheng’s quick action with saving perhaps dozens of lives at a celebratory luncheon at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, which worships at Geneva Presbyterian Church in the Orange County community of Laguna Woods.
Prosecutors say the gunman, David Chou, 68, of Las Vegas, was motivated by hatred of Taiwan, where he was born and grew up after his family was forced from mainland China when Communists took control.
Chou spent about an hour with attendees at the luncheon, apparently to gain their trust so he could execute his plot, authorities said. He chained doors shut and glued locks. He had two handguns, four Molotov-cocktail-type incendiary devices and ammunition.
When Chou began shooting, Cheng charged him and was shot. He died at the scene, but his quick action disrupted the shooter, who was then hit by a chair thrown by the church’s former pastor, Billy Chang, and jumped on by three members of the congregation who used an extension cord to tie him up until police arrived.
Cheng was the only one killed. Five others were wounded, including four men ages 66 to 92 and an 86-year-old woman. All were either released from the hospital or in stable condition.
Sheriff Don Barnes called Cheng’s heroism “a meeting of good versus evil.”
“Dr. Cheng’s selfless love for others stopped a hatefilled act from claiming more lives beyond his own,” Barnes said in a tweet.