S. Korean Man Kills Boy to Hide Drunk Driving: Cops

A South Korean man allegedly shot and killed a 10-year-old boy after hitting him with his car, apparently to hide the fact that he was driving drunk, police said today. The man, whose family name is Lee, struck the boy June 4 in Gwangju and took him to a hospital, said the officer who handled the case. The hospital told him to take the boy to a larger medical facility, but instead he drove the boy to a reservoir and allegedly shot him with an air rifle.

Lee at first told police the boy was unconscious after the accident and that he abandoned the body near the reservoir, but he later confessed to the shooting after being confronted with the autopsy report, said the officer. He quoted Lee as telling investigators he killed the boy "out of fear of getting caught for causing an accident while driving under the influence." (More South Korea stories.)