▲ CCTV footage near the scene at the time of the accident
The bereaved family of a woman in her 60s who was killed after being struck by a police patrol car dispatched in response to a report of a person lying on the road demanded today (September 14) that murder charges be applied to the police officer who was driving the vehicle.
Regarding the July 3 accident at around 12:45 AM in a back alley in Sungui-dong, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, where a patrol car ran over and killed a person identified as A, the victim's family claimed today—based on a witness statement—that after the patrol car first ran over A and felt the jolt of the vehicle, it stopped for about 10 seconds.
They went on to say that Police Officer B from a local district unit under the Michuhol Police Station did not get out immediately to rescue A, but instead moved the patrol car forward, running over A a second time, and only stepped out after moving about 15 meters further and being shouted at by police officers in a following patrol car.
The family argued that such actions constitute driving continuously despite being aware that a person was trapped underneath the vehicle, amounting to murder by dolus eventualis (implied intent).
Accordingly, they asserted that Officer B should be charged with murder or fleeing the scene resulting in death under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes, and that the case should be handled as a major crime.
The bereaved family stated, "Although the initial caller provided the home address around the accident scene, the dispatched police officers drove slowly around the area or failed to fulfill their duty of care."
They added, "While 112 emergency report records are crucial to verifying the details of this accident, the police dragged their feet and refused to provide the materials. As a result, we filed a motion with the court for the preservation of criminal evidence regarding the 112 control room data, and a freeze order has now been completed."
At the time, Officer B was dispatched to the scene along with a police sergeant from the same district unit after receiving a report that "a person is lying on the road," resulting in the accident that killed A, the person intended to be rescued.
The police have booked Officer B without detention on charges of causing death by occupational negligence under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents, and are investigating the case.
Officer B reportedly explained to the police, "I failed to properly see that A was lying down."
A police official stated, "We are currently waiting for the autopsy results and the Korea Road Traffic Authority's on-site inspection analysis results. Once the results are out, we plan to investigate whether Officer B could actually see A, based on the Event Data Recorder (EDR) analysis and dashcam footage."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.