A South Korean police officer who was under investigation in connection to the deadly crowd crush on Halloween weekend in Seoul has been found dead.
The policeman, a 55-year-old officer identified only by his surname, Jeong, was in charge of intelligence affairs at the Yongsan district police station, which oversees the area where the crowd crush took place.
On the night of Oct. 29, more than 100,000 partygoers flocked to the Itaewon area of Seoul, crowding bars and packing the neighborhood’s narrow streets and alleys.
But the crowd grew out of control. In one small alleyway next to a hotel, people became packed so tightly that they could not move; eventually, more than 150 people were killed and nearly 200 more injured.
Jeong was accused of destroying evidence that police knew of the crowd risk. He was found dead in his home on Friday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. The cause of his death is under investigation.
B.C. Begley 