The Korea Herald

피터빈트

Nabbed slingshot vandal ‘was just curious’ how far it could shoot

By Choi Jae-hee

Published : March 19, 2023 - 14:53

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The suspect in a case of Songdo high-rise window vandalism arrives at the Incheon District Court in Incheon for a hearing following the issue of his arrest warrant, Sunday. (Yonhap) The suspect in a case of Songdo high-rise window vandalism arrives at the Incheon District Court in Incheon for a hearing following the issue of his arrest warrant, Sunday. (Yonhap)

A suspected slingshot vandal behind the smashed windows of three homes in a high-rise apartment complex in Incheon’s Songdo district has been apprehended. The suspect, a 60-something-old man living in the same apartment complex, said he “just wanted to see” how far his slingshots could shoot.

According to the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station on Sunday, multiple slingshots and iron balls, all with a radius of 8 millimeters, were found at the suspect’s home where he appears to have carried out practice shooting. His home is also the location from where he is alleged to have fired the shots that damaged neighbors’ homes.

The probe was launched upon a report on March 10 that the window of an 29th-floor unit was smashed, apparently caused by an external force. Police officers then learned that two more homes within the same complex had window damage. During the course of investigation, they collected two 8 millimeter iron balls on the ground, which they suspected were used for the crime.

Through a joint investigation with the National Forensic Service to trace where the balls could have been shot and an analysis of surveillance camera footage, the police identified the neighbor as the suspect.

The investigators, however, said that the suspect didn’t seem to have purposefully aimed at any of the victims’ windows and that there appears to be no personal grudges held against the neighbors. The suspect also testified that he just wanted to see how far the slingshots could shoot.