Police remove precinct chief, supervising duty officer over Incheon shooting response
Published: 06 Aug. 2025, 15:57
Updated: 06 Aug. 2025, 21:02
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Park Sang-jin, chief of Incheon Yeonsu Police Precinct, speaks during a press conference on July 21. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/06/f22fe950-2713-4ebf-8f14-094204d693b3.jpg)
Park Sang-jin, chief of Incheon Yeonsu Police Precinct, speaks during a press conference on July 21. [YONHAP]
Police have removed the chief of the Incheon Yeonsu Police Precinct and the supervising duty officer from their positions for their inadequate response to a recent homemade gun incident that left one person dead, authorities said Wednesday.
The National Police Agency relieved Park Sang-jin, chief of Incheon Yeonsu Police Precinct, and the duty control officer of their duties and reassigned them to the Incheon Metropolitan Police's headquarters.
The two officials came under internal inspection over their handling of a shooting incident that took place on July 20 at an apartment complex in Incheon, where a man shot his son with a homemade firearm during a family dispute.
Police received an emergency call at 9:31 p.m., with three patrol cars reaching the scene within 10 minutes of the report. But officers did not enter the apartment as they were concerned that forced entry could escalate the threat to the family, instead waiting for the SWAT team to enter the building at 10:43 p.m., only to discover that the suspect had already fled. The son, who suffered gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen, later died at a hospital.
The duty control officer, responsible for overseeing the scene, arrived only after the situation had ended. Investigators said the initial police response was delayed and poorly coordinated.
“The personnel change was necessary in advance of any disciplinary action,” a National Police Agency official said. “We also determined it was inappropriate for the duty control officer to continue serving in the current post.”
Police said they will decide on formal disciplinary measures after concluding the internal inspection.
Authorities appointed Bae Seok-hwan, head of the 112 Emergency Situation Room at the Incheon Metropolitan Police, as the new chief of the Incheon Yeonsu Police Precinct.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY IM SOUNG-BIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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