Store owner fined for shooting unruly customer in face with gas gun

A 36-year-old convenience store owner was fined 2 million won ($1,450) by court for shooting a customer in the face with a gas-operated gun, after the customer hit him with a carton of milk several times, court said Monday.

Incheon District Court found the defendant guilty of special violence and special destruction and damage, both of which are applied when the perpetrator uses a dangerous weapon.

The defendant got into an argument with a 65-year-old customer at a convenience store he runs in Namdong-gu, Incheon at 1:24 a.m. on Nov. 19, 2022. It led to a scuffle which was followed by the customer throwing a carton of milk at him.

The store owner immediately fired the gun, which he carried for self-defense, at the customer's face, damaging the latter's glasses.

"The defendant fired the gas gun immediately at a mild use of force, which presents a considerable danger," the court said in the verdict. The court said it had considered the fact that the defendant had no previous criminal record, that he too had been subject to physical violence and that he had reached a settlement with the victim.

The customer in question was also accused of violence, but the charges were dropped when the store owner expressed his wish that the customer not be punished.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)