Police have sought an arrest warrant for a man in his 20s who fatally stabbed a high school girl he had never met on a main street in front of a Gwangju high school.
The Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju said Friday that it had applied for an arrest warrant for Jang, 24, on charges including murder for killing one high school student and injuring another with a weapon.
Jang is accused of stabbing A, 17, multiple times and killing her on the sidewalk of a main street in front of a high school in Gwansan District, Gwangju, at around 12:10 a.m. the previous day, as she was returning home after studying. Jang also injured B, a high school student of similar age, who ran to the scene after hearing A's screams, by wielding the weapon at him.
Police analyzed CCTV footage near the crime scene to track Jang's movements and arrested him near his residence at around 11:24 a.m. on Friday, about 11 hours after the crime. During police questioning, Jang claimed the crime was impulsive, saying, "Life wasn't fun. I came out with a weapon I had bought in advance intending to kill myself," and, "As I was wandering around, I saw a female student I happened to encounter and felt an impulse, so I committed the crime."
However, police are leaving open the possibility of a premeditated crime and continuing their investigation. According to police findings, Jang fled in his own vehicle, which he had parked near the crime scene, immediately after the attack. During his escape, Jang used both his vehicle and a taxi, and was also spotted stopping by an unmanned laundromat. Police plan to examine Jang's mobile phone through forensic analysis to determine whether the crime was premeditated.
Once Jang is formally taken into custody, police will proceed with the identity disclosure procedure. The Identity Disclosure Committee is scheduled to convene on Saturday or Sunday, when it will decide whether to release his face, name and age.
