Murderer Tricked Toyama Policeman by Making Loud Noise

June 27, 2018

Toyama- The 21-year-old man who stabbed a police officer to death and stole his gun at a police box in the central Japan city of Toyama on Tuesday knocked on the back door of the police box loudly in order to fool the officer into opening it, investigative sources said Wednesday.

When the police officer opened the door, the man, Keita Shimazu, a former Self-Defense Forces officer, attacked him with a knife and stole his sidearm. The policeman, Kenichi Inaizumi, 46, was stabbed dozens of times, mainly in the abdomen, and died of hemorrhagic shock, the sources said. He was confirmed dead upon arrival at hospital.

A police counsellor who was in the police box at the time of the incident made two emergency calls to the police, first from inside the box and then from outside.

The incident happened shortly past 2 p.m. Tuesday (5 a.m. GMT). The Toyama prefectural police department is analyzing security camera footage to understand exactly what happened. The police also searched Shimazu's home in the town of Tateyama in the prefecture Wednesday morning.

After stealing the gun, Shimazu went to an elementary school some 100 meters away and shot Shinichi Nakamura, a 68-year-old security guard, at around 2:25 p.m. near the entrance of the school. Nakamura died due to head injuries. Investigators found bullet wounds to his head and left shoulder.

Two other police officers rushed to the school and fired two rounds at Shimazu as he tried to attack them with what appeared to be a knife in each hand.

At least one of the two shots hit Shimazu in the abdomen. He is currently in critical condition.

He was arrested at the scene of the crime on suspicion of attempted murder. The gun, which can hold up to five rounds, was found to be empty after the incident.

Shimazu was said to be carrying a hatchet-like weapon and a knife. Another knife was found on the ground behind the police box. Jiji Press