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| ▲ This photo provided by a reader shows a police officer (L) being stabbed by a knife-wielding attacker in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Feb. 26, 2025. The officer later used his firearm to suppress the attacker. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
police officer-self-defense
Self-defense recognized in police officer's fatal shooting of suspect
GWANGJU, March 27 (Yonhap) -- Police concluded Thursday that a police officer who shot and killed a knife-wielding man while on duty in the southwestern city of Gwangju last month had acted in self-defense.
The officer from the Gwangju Dongbu Police Station was first stabbed twice by the 51-year-old knife attacker before shooting him dead with live bullets during a scuffle in downtown Gwangju on Feb. 26.
The officer, who sustained serious injuries to his neck and face, was called to the scene in response to a 112 emergency call from two women threatened by the attacker.
The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency said it has closed the fatal accident case and acquitted the officer after determining that he lawfully used his firearm in the death of the attacker.
The agency said the officer's use of firearm was appropriate considering that the deceased man continued to attack with a deadly weapon from a close range of less than 1 meter despite multiple warnings and orders to surrender.
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