SOUTH KOREA-SHOOTING/BODY Authorities move body from house in South Korean shooting

Record ID: 324495

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA-SHOOTING/BODY Authorities move body from house in South Korean shooting
  • Date: 27th February 2015
  • Summary: HWASEONG, SOUTH KOREA (FEBRUARY 27, 2015) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** AMBULANCES PARKED AT SHOOTING INCIDENT SITE FIREFIGHTERS CARRYING COVERED DEAD BODY ON STRETCHER INTO AMBULANCE AMBULANCE DRIVING OFF FAMILY MEMBER OF DEAD POLICE OFFICER CRYING EXTERIOR OF TWO-STORY HOUSE EXTERIOR OF HWASEONG SEOBU POLICE STATION SIGN READING (Korean): "HWASEONG SEOBU POLICE STATION" CHIEF OF HWASEONG SEOBU POLICE STATION LEE SEOK-KWON WALKING INTO NEWS BRIEFING ROOM JOURNALISTS AT NEWS BRIEFING LEE SPEAKING JOURNALISTS AT NEWS BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) CHIEF OF HWASEONG SEOBU POLICE STATION LEE SEOK-KWON SAYING: "The victims of this incident are the suspect's older brother, 86-year-old surnamed Jeon, and his sister-in-law, 84-year old surnamed Baek. Lee Kang-seok, 43-year-old chief of Namyang police substation, who was one of the first officers to respond, was also gunned down. The suspect Jeon is believed to have committed suicide at the shooting site." JOURNALISTS TYPING (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) CHIEF OF HWASEONG SEOBU POLICE STATION LEE SEOK-KWON SAYING: "Judging by the suicide note found in the suspect's car and what the victims' family members stated, it looks like the incident was caused by the family dispute over a money issue." MORE OF JOURNALISTS AT NEWS BRIEFING LEE STANDING AT PODIUM NEWS BRIEFING IN PROGRESS EXTERIOR OF NAMYANG POLICE SUBSTATION VARIOUS OF MEN TALKING EACH OTHER INSIDE OF POLICE STATION / SIGN READING (in Korean): "NAMYANG POLICE SUBSTATION" SIGN READING (in Korean and English): "POLICE"
  • Embargoed: 14th March 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA4124U25JTE61T1KR343IZX0Q
  • Story Text: Authorities moved a body from a house in South Korea after a gunman armed with a hunting rifle shot and killed three people, including a policeman, on Friday (February 27).
    The gunman later killed himself, police said.
    Speaking at a news conference, Chief of Hwaseong Seobu Police Station, Lee Seok-kwon said the incident appeared to be due to a family dispute over money.
    "The victims of this incident are the suspect's older brother, 86-year-old surnamed Jeon, and his sister-in-law, 84-year old surnamed Baek. Lee Kang-seok, 43-year-old chief of Namyang police substation, who was one of the first officers to respond, was also gunned down. The suspect Jeon is believed to have committed suicide at the shooting site," Lee Seok-kwon said at a news briefing in Hwaseong, about 60 km south of Seoul, where the shooting incident happened.
    Lee said police found a six-page suicide note in the suspect's car.
    "Judging by the suicide note found in the suspect's car and what the victims' family members stated, it looks like the incident was caused by the family dispute over money issue," said Lee.
    Lee said the police found the bodies of the elderly couple, the police officer and the gunman on the first floor of the two-story house where the shooting happened.
    Earlier police had said the head police officer was the first to arrive at the site and was shot dead when he spoke to the suspect. They added that the couple's daughter-in-law jumped from the second floor to escape the shooting and alerted the police.
    In South Korea, possession of guns is illegal. Only those who are approved by the government can own guns, mostly for hunting purposes. All guns must be stored at police substations in the country.
    Lee said at the news briefing the suspect withdrew two shotguns at a police substation an hour before the incident.
    This incident comes two days after a gunman killed three people with a hunting rifle in a southern city in South Korea before killing himself.
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