After four days of trial, the jury on Thursday (March 6) rendered a guilty verdict against Jiang Rui, the suspect in the attempted gun attack on a Chinese church in Virginia in 2023.
The jury found all four charges against Jiang Rui to be valid, including hate crime – attempting to hinder the churchgoers’ freedom of religious belief, possession of dangerous weapons and attempted murder, spreading online threats, and violating gun laws.
Jiang Rui faces a mandatory sentence of at least five years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 18.
In the early hours of September 24, 2023, Jiang Rui began posting threats against the church online and made it clear that he intended to kill worshippers. Following a tip-off from a concerned citizen, three police departments in Virginia and Maryland conducted a joint investigation.
A few hours later, the Prince William County police arrested 35-year-old Jiang Rui at a large church venue, Park Valley Church, in Haymarket town in northern Virginia. Upon searching him, the police found a semi-automatic handgun and two fully loaded magazines of ammunition. In his nearby car, there were an additional 34 rounds of ammunition.
In Jiang Rui’s apartment, law enforcement discovered five letters, each signed with Jiang’s inked signature. He wrote, “To the families of those about to be killed – I am sorry for what I have done and what I am about to do.”
Jiang Rui has been detained ever since his arrest by the police.
According to authorities, in the early hours of September 24, a social media user on Instagram saw multiple threatening posts shared by Jiang Rui, prompting them to notify the Anne Arundel County police in Maryland, who then contacted the Fairfax County police where the suspect resided.
From the posts, Jiang Rui was seen pointing a gun at the church in several photos, including Park Valley Church.
Law enforcement officers went to Jiang Rui’s residence in Falls Church, Virginia, but he was not there. Falls Church is about a 30-minute drive from Haymarket town.
Fairfax County quickly forwarded information about a vehicle that Jiang Rui might be driving to the Prince William County police.
Subsequently, an off-duty officer from Prince William County spotted the vehicle in the parking lot of Park Valley Church and immediately reported it to the staff monitoring suspicious individuals at the church.
The staff noticed Jiang Rui, dressed in black clothes and sunglasses, entering the church through the back door. They followed him as he first sat in the upper level seating area for a while, then stood up to pass through a door marked “do not enter.” After a confrontation with the security personnel, Jiang Rui returned to the church, descended the stairs, and arrived at the foyer.
Around 10:15 a.m., the police arrested Jiang Rui in the church foyer and found a loaded handgun and magazine on him.
Authorities also seized letters, documents, and electronic devices related to the case from his home. His gun was legally purchased and had no record of being stolen.
The police stated that Jiang Rui went to the church between 3:20 a.m. and 6 a.m., took photos of the building, and then posted on social media.