(Central News Agency, Tokyo, 26th comprehensive foreign report) A man opened fire and attacked with a knife in Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan yesterday, killing 4 people including 2 policemen. The son of Masamichi Aoki, the chairman of the Nakano City Council, was taken into custody this morning after hiding out at his father’s home for hours, police said.
Kyodo news agency quoted a source from the investigation unit as saying that the suspect is believed to be Masamichi Aoki’s eldest son. It is reported that after stabbing a woman to death, he shot and killed two officers with a shotgun before staying inside the house.
The suspect’s motive is still unclear.
The police also mentioned that another elderly woman was found outside the house injured and unconscious, and later died. Local authorities had earlier said there was an injured man near the house who was not being treated.
Two other women, including the suspect’s mother, fled outside the house. Masamichi Aoki, 57, is safe and sound.
According to Kyodo News, the police first received a call at around 4:25 p.m. yesterday, saying that there was a murder case with a knife in the city.
Witnesses saw the suspect chasing a woman who was crying for help around 4 p.m. The masked suspect, who was wearing a camouflage uniform, a hat, and sunglasses, then grabbed her arm and stabbed her back with a sharp knife that appeared to be about 30 centimeters in length. According to eyewitnesses, the suspect stabbed her in the chest after the victim lay on her back.
The woman was later pronounced dead and identified as Yukie Murakami, 66, who lived nearby, according to police.
After the suspect left on foot, the 72-year-old man who witnessed the incident ran back to his home about 150 meters away to call the police, and then brought the police to the crime scene. As a result, the suspect suddenly appeared when the police stopped and shot the driver’s seat immediately. The witness ran away in fright. He said he heard several more shots, but was too scared to turn his head.
The suspect then took refuge in the home of the city council speaker, police said.
The two police officers who died were the 46-year-old Tamai Yoshiki of the Nakano Police Department, and the 61-year-old Chief of Inspection Takuo Chiuchi. (Translator: Yang Zhaoyan) 1120526
