On-Site Officer Leaving Scene Says "Prioritized Request for Support... Trauma Makes It Hard to Remember Clearly"

"Experiencing a Situation for the First Time in Life... The Scene Keeps Coming Back, Causing Trauma"

A man in his 40s, identified as A, who is accused of injuring three members of a neighboring family with a weapon over noise disputes between floors, entered the Incheon District Court in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, on the afternoon of the 17th to undergo a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing). / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Police officer A, a female officer who left the scene during the stabbing incident in Incheon, reportedly said in relation to the controversy over inadequate response, "It was my first time experiencing such a situation, so I thought helping the victim was the priority. Afterwards, I developed trauma and have no memory of it," according to reports.

According to a News1 report on the 21st, the victim's family said that when they met Officer A at the police precinct and pointed out the inadequate response during the incident, they received this answer.

The victim's family asked Officer A whether she had properly separated the perpetrator and the victim's family, and why she left the scene on the third floor where the perpetrator attacked and immediately went down to the first floor.

In response, Officer A said, "Seeing the blood spurting from the neck, I only thought about requesting rescue. Honestly, I don't remember what happened after that. It was something I had never seen or experienced before, and that scene kept coming back, causing trauma," she explained.

She also said, "At the moment I saw the woman in her 40s being stabbed, I thought it was a life-threatening situation, and I was taught at school that in such situations, helping the victim comes first, so I thought requesting 119 rescue was the priority and went down to the first floor."

When asked if she was concerned that a woman in her 20s alone inside the residence might suffer secondary harm from the perpetrator at the moment the woman in her 40s was injured, Officer A reportedly said, "I was only thinking about the woman in her 40s, so I acted by going down to the first floor, and I thought that was the best method and the best way to help," according to the victim's family.

The victim's family said, "Although we received a response from the female officer, our family was ultimately injured due to the inadequate response. Our family is in shambles, and one person is in critical condition. The responsibility for the inadequate response must be clearly taken. We urge strict punishment," they demanded.

Song Minheon, Chief of Incheon Police Agency, posted an apology regarding the police's passive response on the National Police Agency website and social networking services (SNS) on the 18th.
Photo by Incheon Police Agency website capture

The incident occurred around 4:50 p.m. on the 15th at a villa in Seochang-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon. The perpetrator, Mr. B, a man in his 40s, wielded a weapon and caused chaos against a family of three ? a couple and their daughter ? who had conflicts over noise between floors. During the incident, the wife (a woman in her 40s) was stabbed in the neck and lost consciousness, and both the husband and daughter sustained multiple injuries.

At the scene, Officer A and male police officer C were dispatched. The police separated Mr. B on the 4th floor of the villa, but he came back down to the 3rd floor where his wife and daughter were and wielded the weapon again. Officer A, who was at the scene, left the scene and ran down to the first floor citing a request for support. Officer C was with the husband on the first floor.

The husband heard screams and went up to the 3rd floor to subdue Mr. B. Meanwhile, Officers A and C requested additional support from the precinct, but the first-floor shared entrance door was closed, and neighbors had to open it before Mr. B was arrested, leading to criticism of the inadequate response.

Meanwhile, Commissioner General Kim Chang-ryong of the National Police Agency acknowledged the police's inadequate response and apologized on the 21st regarding this incident.

Commissioner Kim said, "Protecting the lives and safety of the people is the police's most important mission and calling, yet we failed to protect the people in danger in this incident at Nonhyeon Police Station in Incheon. I offer my deepest apologies to the victims, their families, and the public." He announced the suspension of the Nonhyeon Police Station chief and the start of an internal investigation into the two officers who responded at the scene.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.