Why did convicted killer target Salem church in fire?  Pastor, others puzzled

By RICHARD KOE
    SALEM — Senior Pastor Scott Erickson of the 2,000-member Peoples Church is not sure why a man burst into his church during a service Wednesday night Oct. 25, dumped gasoline on a half-dozen pews and lit a fire, with an apparent intent to kill everyone in the building.
    According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Kam Shing Chan, also known as Daniel Chen, admitted later that he took gas cans and a knife to the church, 4500 Lancaster Drive N.E., planning to kill all the people there.
    The story not only appeared on the front pages of the Statesman-Journal and The Oregonian, but made the news nationally and even overseas in news services such as the BBC.
    The incident happened around 7 p.m. during prayer meeting attended by some 300 people, and two women in their 70s were slightly burned. Sam Miller, assistant to the pastor, said the man poured a liquid, possibly gasoline, from a one-gallon can which ignited when it hit the pews and the door.
Minutes later, churchgoers tripped and tackled the man while quickly dousing the flames. Miller and others escorted the attacker out of the building as he babbled incoherently. One of the two injured women was taken to a Salem hospital for observation after suffering second- and third-degree burns on her back and slight bruises on her head.
    Chan is a 53-year-old Salem resident originally from Hong Kong. He has had prior murder and kidnapping convictions in Portland according to the sheriff’s office.
    Chan had hijacked a cab to the church. Upon arrival at the church, he reportedly threatened the cab driver with a knife and even cut him slightly during a scuffle.
    A Marion County judge denied bail for Chan for attempting to burn a church and its worshippers. He was held on charges of attempted aggravated murder, attempted assault and arson.
    The attacker was placed on suicide watch at the Marion County Jail awaiting a grand jury indictment and another hearing on Nov. 7.
    Back in 1989 Chan was convicted of murdering his 5-year-old daughter by drowning her in a bathtub, kidnapping a neighbor, and robbing a grocery store in Portland.
    He was found guilty but insane and spent five years at the Oregon State Hospital before being released to a halfway house in 1995.
    The pastors said they believed the man was deranged. They also weren’t sure why someone would want to harm the church or its congregation. Until this incident, the most serious event at the church was graffiti sprayed on a sign a few months ago.
    Erickson and his wife Bonnie, have pastored Peoples Church, affiliated with the Assemblies of God, for about seven years. They had just returned from a missionary trip to Siberia and weren’t at the church when the incident happened.
    Wednesday nights are busy ones at Peoples Church with programs for children, youth, and adults, which is why the incident was very upsetting for the congregation. Erickson said the event won’t deter the church from having services. He said the church will go on with the assurance that everyone attending will be safe there.