Three people were killed, including two police officers, and another was injured after a shooting and stabbing Thursday in Nakano, Nagano Prefecture, with a male suspect fleeing the scene and holing himself up at a facility in the city, NHK reported.
At around 8 p.m., there were what appeared to be gunshots heard at the site.
According to a man living nearby who witnessed the incident, a woman who was running away from a man in camouflage clothing called for help at around 4 p.m. on Thursday. After she fell down about three meters away from the witness, the man stabbed her from behind with a big knife, and stabbed her again in the chest, Kyodo News reported.
¡°Why would you do such a thing?¡± the man asked the perpetrator.
¡°I killed (her) because I wanted to,¡± said the man and left the scene.
After the witness called police, neighbors who arrived to help started attempting to revive the woman with CPR. The man who stabbed her then came back with a shotgun and fired at police officers who arrived at the scene, according to Kyodo.
¡°I was scared beyond words,¡± said the male witness.
The three who died ¡ª one woman and two men ¡ª were either stabbed or shot, according to Shin-etsu Broadcasting, a local outlet. Investigators are unable to rescue another man who was injured because he is near the place where the suspect remains holed up.
The suspect was also wearing a cap, sunglasses and a mask.
People in the area have been asked to remain indoors.
¡°I heard sirens from ambulances and police cars,¡± said a store employee near the site. ¡°There was an announcement via a loudspeaker calling on people to stay indoors because there was a shotgun shooting.¡±
A video feed on NHK¡¯s website showed police officers wearing face shields and holding shields as they patrol the area.
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