Three dead in Japan after attack by man who ‘wanted to kill’

A man armed with a rifle and a knife killed three people and wounded another in the central Japan town of Nakano on Thursday before fleeing and locking himself in a building, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.

The attacker, who reportedly told a witness he “wanted to kill”, stabbed a woman before opening fire on police when they arrived on the scene, killing two officers and wounding another male victim, the broadcaster said. Official details of the rampage remain unclear, but the suspect had not been arrested late Thursday night and police have warned residents in the area to stay indoors.

A witness to the incident told NHK he was working in a field when a young woman ran up to him and begged for help as a man wearing camouflage, a hat and a mask chased after her. The man then stabbed her in the back, causing her to fall, and then stabbed her again in the chest.

“I asked him, “Why are you doing this?” the witness told the broadcaster. “He replied, ‘I killed her because I wanted to kill.'”

The suspect then left the crime scene, before returning with a gun after two police officers arrived by car in response to the stabbing, the witness said. The suspect then held the barrel of his gun to the car window and shot the car twice before fleeing again.

Police in surrounding Nagano Prefecture said they could not comment on the situation at this time.

This is an evolving story.