Gunman shoots two, holes up at post office near Tokyo
Baku, October 31, AZERTAC
A doctor and a patient were injured in a shooting at a hospital in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Investigators say the gunman fled the scene and is now holed up at a nearby post office, according to NHK World-Japan.
The shooting happened shortly after 1 p.m. on Tuesday at a hospital in Toda City. Police say what appears to be a handgun was fired at the hospital from a street. They say the conditions of the victims are not life-threatening.
The suspect then fled the scene and is now at this post office less than two kilometers from the hospital. Police say there were both customers and staff in the 3-story building when the gunman entered.
Police have since been communicating with the suspect by phone. They say two female staff members are still inside and both of them are unharmed.
A separate but possibly related incident happened in the same neighborhood. A fire broke out at an apartment building about one kilometer away from the hospital just minutes before the shooting took place. Nobody was hurt. Investigators believe the gunman, who is reportedly in his 80s, lives in one of the apartment units.
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