Who was Billy Chang? Bio, Wiki Age, Murder, Police Report

Billy Chang Bio – Billy Chang Wiki

Billy Chang was a pastor who helped to subdue the gunman in the Laguna Woods church shooting. One person was killed and five others were injured.

AGE:

Billy Chang was 65 years old.

DETAIL OF INCIDENCE:

Billy Chang was a pastor who helped to subdue the gunman in the Laguna Woods church shooting. One person was killed and five others were injured during a luncheon for the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church at Geneva Presbyterian Church in California.

The suspect, who is in custody, has not been identified. The victims’ names have also not been released. KTAR identified Chang as the pastor who was being honored at the luncheon.

Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said in a press conference that churchgoers detained the suspect, disarmed him, and “hogtied” him. The suspect is an Asian male in his 60s, Hallock said. His name was not released. Hallock said they are still working to determine a motive and they do not know whether it was a “hate-related” incident. Hallock said they did not yet know whether the suspect had any connections to the church and whether any victims were targeted. The churchgoers who intervened were hailed as heroes for preventing further deaths and injuries. Two handguns were recovered from the scene, Hallock said.
Four people suffered critical injuries and one suffered minor injuries, officials said. The injured victims were rushed to local hospitals, and the person who was killed was found dead at the scene. All six victims are adults, according to the Orange County Sheriff.

1. Chang Hit the Gunman With a Chair While He Was Reloading

Chang hit the gunman on the head with a chair while the suspect paused to reload his weapons, Jerry Chen, a longtime congregant, told KTAR News. Chen, 72, said others moved in to disarm the suspect, tackle him and tie him up with extension cords.

“It was amazing how brave (Chang) and the others were,” Chen told KTAR. “This is just so sad. I never, ever thought something like this would happen in my church, in my community.”

Undersheriff Jeff Hallock told the OC Register that many of the people who were in the church at the time of the shooting were of Taiwanese descent. The Irvine Taiwanese Church website says they meet at Geneva Presbyterian Church. Hallock confirmed during a press conference a luncheon was being held at the church following services.

Hallock hailed the intervening churchgoers who detained and disarmed the suspect for their “extreme heroism and bravery.”

Twitter user Michelle Ko highlighted the bravery of the elder Taiwanese people in a post. She wrote:

The Presbytery of Los Ranchos said in a statement to the Orange County Register that it is “deeply saddened by a fatal shooting that occurred at a lunch reception honoring a former pastor of the Taiwanese congregation that nests at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods … Please keep the leadership of the Taiwanese congregation and Geneva in your prayers as they care for the those traumatized by this shooting.”

The newspaper reported the church also hosts The Geneva School, a Christian middle school. The OC Register reported the school “appeared to have sent a message to parents informing them about the shooting on Sunday, saying the violence occurred during ‘the Taiwanese church’s lunch meeting.’”

A translation of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church website references Genesis 12 and God telling Abraham to leave his home for the Promised land. Pastor Li Furen compared the Bible story to the journey of the church congregants from their homeland to the United States.

“Just like Abraham, a group of Puritans in the seventeenth century set foot on the new continent of the United States in pursuit of freedom of belief and a better life. In pursuit of their dreams, we also became new immigrants to this country in the twentieth century, facing unfamiliar people. Environmental language and culture, we have experienced many challenges and difficulties, but because of this, we can better appreciate God’s wonderful leadership and abundant blessings,” the translation says.

The pastors are listed as Li Furen and Albany Lee.

“IRVINE Taiwan Presbyterian Church is a big family full of love. We welcome all our friends to join us with open arms. In the love of God and the grace of Jesus Christ, we hope that all brothers and sisters can have more knowledge, and also In the journey of life, we can walk stronger and happier because of each other’s support,” the translation of the website says.

2. Chang Was the Pastor Who Was Being Honored at the Luncheon

Chang was being honored at the luncheon on May 15, 2022, where about 40 congregants gathered in the fellowship hall after their morning service, Chen told KTAR News. Chang had served at the church for about 20 years “and was a beloved and respected community member,” KTAR News reported.

Chang had moved back to Taiwan two years ago and had just returned back to the United States, Chen told the news outlet. The Taiwanese church has met at Geneva Presbyterian Church for about 10 years, Chen told the news station.

Geneva Presbyterian Church congregants gathered for a worship service shortly before the shooting inside the church and were told in the message they should welcome everyone, even those who break religious traditions. The Rev. Ryan Romeburg spoke to congregants about tradition and challenged them to ask themselves how they feel when they hear about something “new” in a video of the sermon posted on Facebook and later removed. He said that something “new” can create tension among Christians because the religion is rooted in thousands of years of tradition.

The sermon was based on Revelations 21:5, “See, I am making all things new.”

Romeburg said that the Bible verse referenced a passage from the book of Acts about welcoming those in the Church who broke traditional values, such as eating kosher foods.

“In other words, people didn’t need to jump through hoops to be accepted. They didn’t need to check off a list of rituals to be loved. They didn’t need to kiss the ring of the power before their voice was welcome. They didn’t need to pretend to be someone else,” Romeburg said in the sermon.

The Geneva Presbyterian Church website says their regular church services are held at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. The event calendar says a “High School Hang” was scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday and did not list any events for the afternoon after the morning service. The church bulletin says the sermon for May 15, 2022, was “Celebrating The Calling,” delivered by The Rev. Ryan Romberg.

The sermon was live-streamed on the church’s Facebook page. The page was later removed.

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