The United States is once again in mourning.

Several people were shot and wounded, including one fatally, in a shooting at a church in Laguna Woods, southern California, local authorities reported Sunday, May 15, announcing the arrest of a suspect.

"Four people are seriously injured," Orange County police wrote on their Twitter account, adding that a "victim died at the scene" of the incident.

Dispatch received call of a shooting inside Geneva Presbyterian Church at 1:26pm.

Four have been critically injured, one with minor victims injuries.

All victims are adults and are enroute to the hospital.

One victim is deceased at the scene.

— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) May 15, 2022

Via Twitter, the sheriff's office said all of those injured in the shooting were adults.

"It's not a surprise. Because this city is a residence for retirees in an affluent region, where the population is mainly white and Hispanic", specifies the correspondent of France 24 in California, Loïc Pialat. 

00:51

The shooting comes a day after 10 people died after an 18-year-old white man opened fire at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in an attack authorities described as racist.

The motive for the killing unknown

An emergency call was received at 1:26 p.m. (2026 GMT) from the Geneva Presbyterian Church on Sunday afternoon, according to law enforcement.

"We have arrested a person and recovered a weapon that may be involved" in the crime, the sheriff's department said in a tweet, without specifying at this stage the motivations behind this new shooting.

For its part, the office of the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, assured work with local officials and monitor the situation.

"No one should have to fear going to their place of worship. Our hearts go out to the victims," ​​his office tweeted.

We are actively monitoring the shooting at a church in Laguna Woods and working closely with local law enforcement.



No one should have to fear going to their place of worship.

Our thoughts are with the victims, community, and all those impacted by this tragic event.

— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) May 15, 2022

"This is shocking and disturbing news, especially less than a day after a mass shooting in Buffalo," tweeted Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter, who represents Orange County in Washington.

"That shouldn't be our new normal."

With AFP and Reuters

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