A 20-year-old man from New Jersey has been arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder after allegedly attacking a victim with a hammer in Jacksonville, Florida. Edward Kang, who traveled from Newark to confront the victim over an online dispute in the fantasy video game ArcheAge, was taken into custody on Sunday.
According to Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper, Kang told his family he was meeting a long-time friend he had met through video games, but instead arrived in Florida with a hammer and flashlight, which he purchased at a local hardware store. He entered the victim’s home through an unlocked door, covering his face, hands, and body, and attacked the victim when they went to use the bathroom.
The victim, who had never met Kang in person before, was able to fight him off and alert a stepfather, who called the police. Deputies arrived to find a significant amount of blood in the victim’s bedroom and entryway. The victim was hospitalized with serious head injuries but has since been released. Kang was also taken to the hospital and then released into police custody.
Kang was charged with armed burglary and attempted second-degree murder and is being held in the Nassau County Jail. When asked about his motive, Kang reportedly claimed the victim was a “bad person online.” He also asked Leeper how long his sentence would be, to which Leeper replied that it would be a long time before Kang could play video games again.
The game ArcheAge, which has been the subject of the dispute, will no longer be accessible in the US after Thursday due to declining player numbers, according to its publisher.
