AMN / WEB DESK
A woman and two police officers were killed on Thursday in a stabbing and shooting incident involving a man in possession of a hunting rifle in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan.
The man has holed up in a nearby residence, likely the house of a local assembly speaker, according to police and local officials. Another man is injured but his condition is unknown, because he is still too close to the scene to be rescued.
According to KYODO NEWS, police initially received an emergency call at around 4:25 p.m. about a man stabbing a woman in Nakano, northern Nagano Prefecture. Police officers who rushed to the scene were shot.
More gun shots were heard at night, according to the police.
The usually peaceful area, which is dotted with homes and rice fields, was rocked by the incident, with police sirens blaring and citizens urged to stay in their homes as the man remained on the run.
Residents have been advised not to leave home for non-urgent reasons, and children still at local elementary and junior high schools were told to shelter in place.
A local woman in her 30s said children playing outside immediately went back home after they were alerted about a man carrying a gun on the run.
