Police arrested the son of a city assembly chief in central Japan on Friday in connection with the deaths of four people, including two police officers. He had earlier barricaded himself with a rifle in his father's house for hours.
At around 4:30 a.m. on Friday, police captured 31-year-old Aoki Masanori outside the house. Police say the suspect, who is engaged in farming, is the son of Aoki Masamichi, who is speaker of the city assembly in Nakano, Nagano Prefecture.
The shocking incident unfolded when police received a report at around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday that a man had stabbed a woman. When officers arrived at the scene, the man opened fire on them with what appeared to be a hunting rifle. The woman and two police officers died. Another woman at the scene was later confirmed dead.
Following the attack, the suspect fled on foot and holed himself up in a house, which was later confirmed to be his father's.
Police officials say two women, including the wife of the city assembly chief, managed to escape from the home.
Gun crime is very rare in Japan. Last year, nine gun-related incidents, resulting in four deaths, were reported nationwide.