A Japanese man has been arrested for the attempted murder of a doctor whom he had taken hostage overnight, reports said yesterday.
The suspect also shot a nurse, who is severely injured, as he confined the doctor, who is feared dead after the attack, public broadcaster NHK said.
The 44-year-old doctor was in cardiorespiratory arrest — an expression often used in Japan before a death is confirmed — when he was taken to hospital, the broadcaster said.
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The doctor was on a condolence visit to the suspect’s home with a nurse and caregiver to pay respects to a deceased family member of the man, NHK and other Japanese media said.
Police declined to confirm the arrest when contacted by Agence France-Presse, only saying that the suspect was a man aged between 50 and 70.
The man reportedly took the doctor hostage with a gun in Fujimino, near Tokyo, on Thursday night.
The caregiver, who was in his 30s, rushed to a police station after being pepper-sprayed during the incident, the reports said.
The nurse, who was in his 40s, was conscious and being treated in hospital, they said.
Police had spoken to the gunman by telephone throughout the night to try and convince him to release the hostage, the reports said.
Gun crime is rare in Japan, where the possession of firearms is strictly controlled.
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