Gunshots wake Gwangju residents as stabbed police inspector shoots assailant point-blank

A police inspector shot and killed a man who attacked him with a knife in Gwangju early Wednesday, according to police.

A man, right, attacks a police inspector with a knife in Gwangju early Wednesday. The man was shot dead by the inspector afterwards. [YONHAP]

A police inspector shot and killed a man who attacked him with a knife in Gwangju early Wednesday, according to police.

In an alley near Geumnam Park in Dong District, a 51-year-old man carrying a paper bag turned toward two police officers that approached him, telling them to "stop for a moment."

As the two police officers, one of whom was an inspector, approached, the man suddenly pulled a knife from his shopping bag and lunged at the inspector.

The officer accompanying the inspector fired a taser at the attacker, but missed. The enraged man then swung his knife at the inspector, cutting his face. When the inspector warned him to "drop the weapon," the man turned his attention to the officer.

The inspector fired a blank round, only for the man to rush him again and swing the knife a second time. The inspector, who had been stabbed twice already and entangled with his fellow officer, fired three live rounds into the man’s upper body.

The man continued his assault even after the inspector, who suffered severe injuries to his face, fired the three live rounds. Shot in the chest and abdomen, the man ran for approximately 40 meters (43 yards) before finally collapsing after being hit by a taser fired by another officer that was dispatched.

The man who shot a police inspector, center, gets apprehended by police in Gwangju early Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The assailant was taken to a nearby university hospital emergency room but was pronounced dead around 4 a.m. The inspector underwent emergency surgery, and his wounds were not life-threatening.

Police were dispatched to the scene after receiving a report at 3:03 a.m. from two women that said “a suspicious man" was following them.

Police are investigating the deceased man's history to determine if there had been previous incidences of stalking and whether or not he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the stabbing. The had no record of violent felonies but had two prior convictions, including assault. People in the vicinity were alarmed by the sound of gunshots in the early morning. Although the incident occurred in Gwangju’s old downtown area, which is densely packed with high-rise office buildings, it is an area with little foot traffic at night.

"I woke up to the sound of arguing, and shortly after, I heard gunshots,” said a 26-year-old nearby resident surnamed Nam. “When I stepped outside, there were bloodstains all over the road in front of where I live.”

Police are investigating the exact circumstances of the incident and are also reviewing whether the inspector’s use of a firearm was within regulations.

Police said Wednesday that the inspector used his firearm based on “the standards and methods of police use of force.” The regulations stipulate that officers must first fire one or two blank rounds before using live ammunition, aiming below the hip when firing.

"The inspector attempted to aim at the suspect’s thigh," said a police official. "But given the severity of his injuries and the chaotic nature of the struggle, the shots appear to have struck the upper body."

Police are also reviewing whether the use of live ammunition qualifies as self-defense.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]