The reason for the incident on 20th of last month, in which a father shot his son with a homemade firearm in an apartment in Songdo International City, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, was investigated as a conflict over living expenses. The suspect, Mr. A (62), was caught receiving living expenses from both his ex-wife and son simultaneously; after this was discovered, he cut off the support, fell into delusion, and committed the crime, according to police conclusions.
According to the indictment submitted by the People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 25th, Mr. A maintained a de facto marriage relationship with his ex-wife, Ms. B, after their divorce until this relationship ended in 2015.
Mr. A continued to receive support from Ms. B without having a steady job. From August 2021 to September 2023, he received a total of 6.4 million won, 3.2 million won each month from Ms. B and his son, Mr. C (33, deceased). Mr. A spent this money on entertainment and other expenses.
Mr. A hid the fact that he was receiving overlapping support for living expenses, but Ms. B found out about it. Starting in November 2023, she stopped the payments for the period in which the double payments were made. In response, instead of looking for a job, Mr. A withdrew his savings to cover living expenses. In January of last year, he borrowed money from his sister.
As Mr. A's financial situation became dire, he fell into delusion, believing that Ms. B and his son would act as if they would provide him with economic support, only to cut it off later, leaving him unprepared in old age.
Mr. A also said that Ms. B and his son isolated him by leaving him to live alone at home. The home is a 70-pyeong apartment in Ssangmun-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul, registered in Ms. B's name. During police questioning, Mr. A stated, "They set me up together."
The prosecution determined that "Mr. A, having difficulties in living due to his violent behavior leading to divorce and a reckless lifestyle, blamed all his problems on his ex-wife and son." As a result, Mr. A harbored thoughts of killing Ms. B's beloved son, Mr. C, and his family.
According to the indictment, while searching for the tools for his crime, Mr. A judged that it would be difficult to achieve his purpose using a knife against his muscular adult son. Last August, he watched videos about making homemade firearms on YouTube and remembered that he had around 180 rounds of shotgun ammo purchased over 20 years ago stored in his warehouse. Mr. A purchased tools to make homemade firearms from an online shopping mall and conducted trigger tests using detonators at his residence.
On the day of the crime, the 20th of last month, Mr. A attended his birthday party, which his son held at their home in Songdo. Around 8:53 p.m., he left the house, saying he would go to a convenience store, and returned with two trigger devices, four barrels, and about 15 rounds of shotgun ammo.
Afterward, he loaded the barrels with ammunition in the hallway in front of the front door and pressed the doorbell. Mr. A immediately fired the homemade firearm at his son, Mr. C, when he opened the door. When Mr. C leaned against the wall and pleaded, "Please save me," he fired additional shots to the right side of C's chest.
Mr. A also intended to kill four additional people: Mr. C's wife (daughter-in-law), two grandchildren, and a foreign tutor. When the foreign tutor fled outside the front door during the incident, Mr. A fired his weapon. He is also believed to have forcefully pushed against the door where his daughter-in-law and grandchildren took refuge to prevent it from locking.
Mr. A also attempted to ignite 15 flammable materials, including a plastic bottle filled with gasoline, detergent, and milk containers, in his apartment in Ssangmun-dong. According to the indictment, the investigation found that this was aimed at burning and destroying belongings left in the house belonging to his ex-wife and son.
On the 14th, the prosecution indicted Mr. A on charges of murder, attempted murder, violations of the laws on the safety management of firearms, swords, and explosives, and attempted arson of structures.