Incheon knife rampage: victim count rises to 10 within five minutes
The number of victims in a knife attack at a mixed-use shopping complex in Incheon has risen from the initially reported eight to 10, one of whom remains unconscious. The Incheon Namdong Police Station announced an interim investigation into suspect A, 59, arrested on charges of attempted murder, at an Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency press briefing on the afternoon of the 14th.
A is accused of indiscriminately attacking visitors with a weapon in each hand at a restaurant area on the second floor of a shopping complex in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, at around 1:48 p.m. on the 13th. He then moved to the third floor, leaving seven victims on the second floor and three on the third — 10 in total. Five civilians at the scene subdued A with chairs and other objects, and police dispatched after receiving a report took him into custody at around 1:53 p.m.
According to police, A stated that after receiving treatment for athlete's foot at a hospital in Gyeyang-gu without his symptoms improving, he protested to the hospital and staged a one-person demonstration. When this led to a police investigation, he said he grew resentful. A said he decided he "needed to make news" to draw public attention to his situation, and that he chose as his targets people who appeared physically weaker than himself. However, his statements have been inconsistent, and police are struggling to pin down an exact motive.
A 19-year-old woman stabbed in the attack was transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest. She recovered a pulse after CPR but remains unconscious and is being treated in the intensive care unit. Five victims are hospitalized, three were discharged after treatment, and the remaining two left the scene on their own.
Police have also reconstructed A's movements on the day of the attack. Analysis of CCTV footage showed A leaving his home in Gyeyang-gu at around 8:42 a.m. and visiting the Gyeyang Addiction Management Integrated Support Center at around 8:55 a.m., where he stayed for about two hours. He received an interview at a probation office at around 11:20 a.m., then had lunch with his probation officer at a nearby sundae gukbap (Korean sausage soup) restaurant. A boarded the subway at Gyeongin National University of Education Station at around 12:29 p.m. and got off at Incheon City Hall Station at around 1:06 p.m. After walking to and briefly lingering at Korea National Open University, he arrived at the scene of the attack at around 1:44 p.m. Police believe he went up to the second floor and, just before the attack, used tape to secure two weapons, one in each hand. A moved to the shopping complex after lunch with his probation officer and carried out the attack over roughly five minutes.
It also emerged that A had been questioned by police on charges of carrying a dangerous weapon just a week before the attack. During a one-person protest in front of a hospital in Gyeyang-gu on the 9th of last month, A took out a kitchen knife and punched holes in a picket sign. Responding officers confiscated the weapon but returned it once the protest ended. After a related complaint was filed through the Safety Report civic portal, the Gyeyang Police Station opened an investigation. Police questioned A on the 6th, and A voluntarily appeared on the 10th to submit the kitchen knife used at the time. Police said CCTV analysis found no indication that he had threatened others, and the case was at the stage of reviewing whether the charge of carrying a weapon in a public place could be established.
In A's bag, police found medication prescribed by a psychiatrist, 2.2 million won in cash, one pair of scissors, and two hammers. A stated the cash came from selling gold he owned. A preliminary drug test came back negative.
Police have requested a detailed forensic analysis from the National Forensic Service, plan to seek an arrest warrant for A within the day, and have deployed three profilers to analyze the motive and A's psychological state. A review committee on the disclosure of his personal information is also set to convene within the week.
