Man flies to Florida to try to kill gamer with hammer: deputies

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A New Jersey man who flew to Florida to try to kill a victim he played video games with was arrested for attempted murder, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.

Edward Co Kang, 20, flew from Newark, New Jersey, to confront the victim in person at his Fernandina Beach home following an online altercation.

When deputies responded to the home on Sunday around 2 a.m., a “significant amount of blood” was found in the entryway and bedroom.

The victim’s stepfather told officials he woke up to him screaming for help and found his stepson struggling with Kang who had attacked him with a hammer. Officials said the stepfather restrained Kang until deputies arrived.

Investigation revealed Kang and the victim had played a videogame, ArcheAge, online together, where players interact in a virtual world.

Kang Ubered from the Jacksonville International Airport to the Ocean Coast Hotel where he’d been staying since Friday. He had told his family he was visiting a friend he met years ago in an online game.

When he landed in Jacksonville, he went to an Ace Hardware store to buy a hammer and a flashlight before heading to the victim’s home.

The sheriff’s office said the victim was gaming when he got up to use the bathroom. When he opened the door, Kang was waiting for him with the hammer raised, ready to attack him. They wrestled to the ground.

Both were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. The victim suffered severe head wounds but his injuries are non-life-threatening.

The suspect told officials the victim was a “bad person online,” and that’s why he attacked him.

Kang was arrested for second-degree attempted murder and remains in jail.

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