Murder of a Korean Police Officer with a Homemade Firearm

Abstract

In the Republic of Korea, only permit holders are allowed to use firearms. We present a previously unreported case of a police officer who was killed by a homemade firearm. The criminal, an ex-convict who had committed serious crimes in the past, faced economic and social difficulties since his release from prison. Because the criminal felt anger and hatred towards the police officers who had investigated his past violent crimes, he made homemade firearms with the intention of killing the police officers. The victim was immediately dispatched to the scene, after receiving an emergency call. The police officer was shot in the left scapula, from a distance of approximately 5 m, with a matchlock gun that was fired by inserting stainless-steel balls and gunpowder into the barrels and igniting the wick. Multiple barrels were fastened to the wooden stock, which allowed multiple bullets to be fired simultaneously.