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Emergency vehicle in front of the church in Laguna Woods
Photo: Leonard Ortiz / dpa
The act follows one day after the attack in Buffalo (New York State).
One person was killed and four others seriously injured by gunfire in a church in the US state of California on Sunday.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office said the shots were fired at a church in the town of Laguna Woods, about 70 kilometers south of Los Angeles.
Another person was slightly injured.
One person was arrested and a firearm secured.
The police reportedly received an emergency call from the Presbyterian Church at 1:26 p.m. (local time).
Rescue workers rushed to the church to treat the injured.
"One victim died at the scene," the sheriff's office said.
All victims are therefore adults.
According to the AP news agency, there were mainly people of Taiwanese descent in the building.
Pictures online showed emergency vehicles parked in front of a church.
California Governor Gavin Newsom's office said it is working with local authorities to monitor the situation.
“No one should be afraid to go to worship.
Our thoughts are with the victims," the office said.
Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter, the Orange County seat in the House of Representatives in Washington, spoke of “upsetting and disturbing news.
She added, "This shouldn't be our new normal."
Ten people were killed and three others injured in an apparently racially motivated gun attack on a supermarket in Buffalo on Saturday.
An 18-year-old white man, who initially broadcast his act live on the internet, opened fire with a gun in front of and inside the store.
Most of the victims were African American.
The perpetrator was arrested and charged with murder.
Biden is visiting Buffalo this week
US President Joe Biden wants to travel to Buffalo with his wife on Tuesday to express his condolences to the people there, as the White House announced on Sunday (local time).
In a statement, the gun attack there was condemned as "senseless and appalling".
According to US media reports, the authorities are examining a 180-page "manifesto" by the Buffalo perpetrator, which is said to have been published on the Internet before the attack and in which the man apparently explains his intentions and his racist motives.
The New York Times, citing this text, reported that the attacker was "inspired" by the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019 that killed 51 people.
jok/AFP