The former Yongsan police chief has been summoned for police questioning over his conduct on the night of the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon in late October that resulted in 158 deaths.

A special police unit investigating the incident called Lee Im-jae, who was dismissed from his position over the bungled police response, as a suspect on Monday for an interrogation session in relation to charges of professional negligence resulting in death.

Speaking to reporters before entering the Mapo office of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency where the special unit’s interrogation rooms are located, Lee apologized profusely for the disaster that happened on his watch and said he will live the rest of his life as a sinner.

Asked why he was late in getting to the scene of the fatal crowd surge and whether he mobilized a police squad to rescue the victims, he said he will include all details in his account during questioning.

While speaking before lawmakers last week, he argued that he was only briefed on the incident at around 11 p.m. on September 29, about 45 minutes after the accident.