Incheon killing: Father shoots son with homemade gun, ticking bombs found at his home

A police line is set up on July 21 outside the home of a man in his 60s in Ssangmun-dong, Dobong district, Seoul, after he fatally shot his son in his 30s with a homemade gun in Incheon.

A man in his 60s has been arrested in Incheon’s Songdo for fatally shooting his son in his 30s with a homemade gun. The suspect reportedly built the firearm after watching YouTube videos, and a large cache of homemade weapons and explosives was discovered in his residence. He cited longstanding family conflict as the motive.

The Incheon Yeonsu Police Station said on July 21 that it had taken a 63-year-old man, identified only by the initial A, into emergency custody on charges of murder and violating the Act on the Safety Control of Guns, Swords, and Explosives. Police are seeking an arrest warrant for Mr. A on murder charges.

Mr. A is accused of shooting and killing his 33-year-old son, Mr. B, at around 9:31 p.m. on July 20 in an apartment in Songdo-dong, Yeonsu district, Incheon. Mr. B was transported to a hospital by emergency responders but was pronounced dead. Police tracked down Mr. A, who had fled the scene, and apprehended him around 12:20 a.m. the next day in the Namtaeryeong area of Seoul. He reportedly did not resist arrest.

The shooting occurred on Mr. A’s birthday, during a celebration at his son’s home. Mr. B had invited his father over for a birthday dinner when the shooting took place. Of the three shots fired, two struck Mr. B, and one hit the door. At the time, Mr. B’s wife, two children, and a friend were also in the apartment.

A used a pipe-style homemade firearm. In police questioning, he said, “I shot my son due to family discord,” and admitted, “I built the gun myself.”

Investigators found that Mr. A had prepared the firearm in advance and retrieved it from his car during the party before opening fire. He also said that “the bullets used had been purchased from another individual some time ago.” Upon his arrest, Mr. A was carrying 86 rounds of ammunition. Police also discovered nine gun barrels in the passenger seat and trunk of his vehicle.

“Mr. A is not a former soldier or police officer,” police said. “He previously ran his own business and does not have a firearm license.”

After Mr. A’s arrest, police secured a statement that he had placed explosives in his home in Ssangmun-dong, Dobong district, Seoul. Officers evacuated 105 residents from the apartment complex before removing the devices. Several homemade explosives were discovered in his residence, including 14 containers of thinner and various timer-connected devices. The explosives were made using PET bottles, detergent jugs, and milk cartons filled with thinner and equipped with ignition systems. The timer had been set to trigger around noon that day.

Residents of Mr. A’s apartment were thrown into chaos when the police SWAT team ordered a sudden evacuation in the early morning hours of the 21st. Mr. Cho, a resident of 20 years, said, “I had to carry my ailing mother down the stairs in the middle of the night. “Thinking it was a fire, we didn’t use the elevator and evacuated via the stairs.” Regarding Mr. A, Mr. Cho said, “He used to greet neighbors, but for the past few years, he wore his hat low and avoided eye contact. People said he’d been seen carrying strange containers recently.” He added, “He used to live with his family, but he’s been living alone for the past six or seven years. He never had conflicts with neighbors and always paid his dues for neighborhood meetings.”

The shocking act of parricide using a homemade firearm has put police on high alert, not only to uncover the exact motive but also to address loopholes in the regulation of improvised firearms. A spokesperson from the National Police Agency said, “We plan to assign criminal profilers to this case to thoroughly investigate the motive and the sequence of events, leaving no room for doubt.” Police also intend to send the recovered firearms and explosives to the National Forensic Service to examine how they were made.

※This article was translated by an AI tool and edited by a professional translator.