Incheon Weapon-Wielding Suspect: 'I Committed the Crime to Attract Attention, Chose Vulnerable People'

A man in his 50s who injured citizens by brandishing a weapon at a large commercial facility in Incheon has stated that he committed the crime to bring social attention to his grievances.

According to the Incheon Namdong Police Station today (October 14), suspect A, who was arrested the previous day on charges including attempted murder, confessed during questioning, "I had grievances against the hospital where I received treatment, and I was unhappy about being investigated by the police following a report from the hospital."

A previously staged a one-man protest carrying a weapon in front of a hospital located in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, starting last August out of dissatisfaction that his athlete's foot symptoms did not improve after receiving treatment there, which led to a police investigation.

A claimed, "I wanted to draw attention to publicly air (my grievances regarding the police report) and committed the crime for that purpose," adding, "I did not target a specific person and chose someone who looked weaker than me, but I had no intention to kill."

Eight people were injured in this incident, and a female victim found in cardiac arrest at the scene underwent emergency surgery but remains unconscious and dependent on mechanical ventilation.

Another victim, added today, was uninjured as the tip of the weapon hit a cigarette pack inside an upper pocket.

A police official stated, "While A has made statements regarding his motive for the crime, it is logically difficult to understand why he targeted strangers at a shopping complex rather than the hospital he held grievances against, so we plan to continue our investigation."

To verify the credibility of A's claims, the police have deployed three profilers to investigate the specific motive and plan to apply for an arrest warrant on charges of attempted murder and carrying a weapon in a public place.

The large quantity of drugs carried by A at the time of the crime is believed to be prescribed medication based on drug packaging labeled "neuropsychiatry," but the National Forensic Service has been requested to conduct a drug appraisal to accurately determine whether they are narcotics.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.