Guam Korean Tourist Murder Suspect Found Dead... "Presumed Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound"

Korean Tourist Robbed and Killed on the 4th
Accomplice Who Drove Arrested at Game Room

A suspect accused of fatally shooting a Korean tourist in Guam was found dead.

On the 9th (local time), the AP News reported that the suspect in the Korean tourist murder case was found dead in a car with a gunshot wound believed to be self-inflicted. Guam police stated that the suspect and another person, presumed to be an accomplice, were arrested and detained at a game room.

Earlier, on the evening of the 4th between 7:40 and 8:00 PM, a Korean tourist couple in their 50s were walking toward the Tsubaki Tower Hotel in the Tumon area of Guam’s Gun Beach when they were robbed. During the resistance, the husband was shot and died. At that time, a sports utility vehicle (SUV) approached the couple from behind, carrying the driver and the shooter. The perpetrator got out of the car with a firearm, demanded belongings, and then shot the husband. The husband, who was shot, was transported to the hospital but ultimately died the next morning. It is known that the deceased husband had embarked on a trip to Guam with his wife to celebrate his retirement when the incident occurred.

Guam Tumon Beach panorama. [Image source=Guam Visitors Bureau]

Guam police offered a reward of $50,000 (approximately 66 million KRW) for tips regarding the suspects the day after the incident. Subsequently, police reportedly found a lead on the case six days later through a citizen’s tip. After reviewing surveillance cameras installed at about 20 businesses in the Tumon tourist district where the incident occurred, police captured footage of a silver Toyota 4Runner, believed to have been used by the suspects, leaving the area on the day of the incident. The shooter was found inside a parked car in the village of Yona, about a 30-minute drive from Tumon. He had a prior record of illegal drug possession, and an arrest warrant had already been issued. Police are investigating whether the gun found with the suspect’s body in the car was used in the murder of the Korean tourist.

The man presumed to be the SUV driver was also caught at a game room in the area where the shooter was found. Police said he also has a criminal record for assault and other charges.

Meanwhile, it is reported that this is the first murder case targeting tourists in Guam in 10 years, since the 2013 incident where three Japanese tourists were stabbed to death. The incident occurred at a time when Guam was trying to revive its tourism market after a sharp decline in tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic, raising greater concerns among authorities.

Local media such as Pacific Daily News reported that over the past three years, Korean tourists accounted for more than half of the total 602,594 tourists visiting Guam. Carl Gutierrez, CEO of the Guam Visitors Bureau, said, "This is very concerning," and added, "We are a family, and we want to let people know that Guam is a very safe place."

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