Police search for suspect in Incheon murder
![Photos of a 32-year-old suspect who fled after allegedly murdering a convenience store owner in Incheon and removing the electronic monitoring tag worn on his ankle Wednesday night. [INCHEON PROBATION OFFICE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/02/09/dc0ddef2-efa7-4ba1-a2e2-3d18b9f7e5d4.jpg)
Photos of a 32-year-old suspect who fled after allegedly murdering a convenience store owner in Incheon and removing the electronic monitoring tag worn on his ankle Wednesday night. [INCHEON PROBATION OFFICE]
Police are in search of a 32-year-old man who fled after allegedly murdering a convenience store owner in Incheon and removing the electronic monitoring tag worn on his ankle.
Police in Incheon say the man is suspected of killing a convenience store owner in Gyeyang District, Incheon at around 10:52 p.m. on Wednesday.
The man, who was under surveillance due to a past conviction for robbery, removed his electronic monitoring tag about an hour after he allegedly murdered the shop owner.
According to the police, the suspect fatally stabbed a convenience store owner near his home in Gyeyang and left the store after taking cash from the counter.
A customer who visited the store afterwards called the 119 emergency hotline, but by the time rescuers arrived, the owner was already dead.
The fire department and police are tracking down the man’s whereabouts after obtaining CCTV footage. The suspect was last seen fleeing in a cab after destroying his electronic monitoring tag at around 11:58 p.m. near an apartment complex in Gyeyang.
The Incheon Probation Office, in charge of monitoring the suspect, said the damaged electronic monitoring device was found on a road in Hyoseong-dong, Incheon.
According to the office, he has been living alone at his home in Hyoseong-dong since getting out of jail in December 2021, leaving home mostly to visit a local internet cafe.
The suspect has committed multiple crimes since he was 16, according to authorities.
In 2014, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for stabbing a woman owning a secondhand luxury goods store in Bupyeong District, Incheon and stealing 800,000 won ($640) in cash. The woman sustained severe injuries and had to be hospitalized for six weeks.
Along with a prison sentence, the man was required to wear an electronic monitoring tag for ten years due to the risk of recidivism, having committed the 2014 crime soon after being released on parole from a three-and-a-half-year prison for a previous theft.
The Incheon Probation Office on Thursday morning disclosed photos of the suspect to the media, asking for witness reports.
According to the law, only photos and posters of those on the emergency wanted list can be shared through media.
He is about 170 centimeters (5.5 feet) tall and wore a black top and pants when he was last seen.
BY CHO JUNG-WOO, SHIM SEOK-YONG [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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