Doctor who died as he tackled gunman in church shooting is hailed a hero

Dr John Cheng has been hailed a hero for helping to stop a gunman (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A gunman motivated by hatred against Taiwan chained shut the doors of a California church and hid firebombs before shooting at a gathering of mostly elderly Taiwanese parishioners, killing a man who tackled him, US authorities said.

David Chou, 68, of Las Vegas, a US citizen whom authorities say grew up in Taiwan, drove to Orange County on Saturday and the next day attended a lunch held by Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, which worships at Geneva Presbyterian Church in the community of Laguna Woods.