On Friday, Japanese authorities announced the arrest of a 31-year-old man in a rural area on suspicion of murder, following a 12-hour standoff with police during which four people were killed in a rare shooting and stabbing incident.
The head of the Nagano prefectural police said in a televised press conference that the suspect had holed up in his house after shooting two officers who had arrived at the scene in response to a report that a woman had been stabbed.
He claimed that he had used what looked like a hunting rifle in the attack.
According to public broadcaster NHK, the suspect is the son of the mayor of Nakano.
The police chief, Iwao Koyama, said that the two officers and the woman were taken to the hospital and pronounced dead within hours.
He called it a “heinous crime” that had spread widespread terror throughout the prefecture and the country.
According to the police, another elderly woman was killed by a knife attack. The media reported that the police had been unable to reach her since Thursday afternoon, when she was found lying on the ground outside the home.
About 12 hours after the initial 911 call, at 4:30 a.m. (1930 GMT) on Friday, the man was taken into police custody. According to Koyama, he was taken into custody on suspicion of murdering one of the police officers.
Due to the country’s strict gun control laws and extensive background check requirements, gun violence is extremely uncommon in Japan. The director of the National Public Safety Commission said in a separate briefing that the suspect had a hunting rifle license.
Those in the house with the suspect, including his mother and aunt, managed to get out on their own, according to Koyama.
The suspect’s motivation was one of the few unknowns.
