An officer from the Yongsan District Police Station in Seoul was found dead Friday while under investigation in connection with the deadly stampede that claimed the lives of 156 people at a Halloween party in the South Korean capital.
The 55-year-old officer, surnamed Jeong, was found dead at 12:45 p.m. local time at his home in northern Seoul, Yonhap news agency reported.
The police station to which the officer belonged, along with the fire station and the Itaewon district office — where the deadly stampede took place — have been under investigation on suspicion that they did not respond as they should have before the calls that alerted of the danger hours before the death of more than 150 people on October 29.
Jeong was being investigated following suspicions that he had ordered the deletion of an internal intelligence report that gave advance warnings of the then-potential safety accident, all in an alleged attempt to cover up inaction, according to the agency.
The charges against him included abuse of authority, destruction of evidence and professional negligence resulting in the deaths of dozens of people.
However, Jeong allegedly sent messages on his cell phone suggesting suicide to fellow workers, according to local authorities. Police are investigating the circumstances of his death.
