As reported by Japan‘s national broadcaster NHK, a man shot what seemed to be a hunting rifle in Nakano City, Nagano Prefecture, on Thursday, injuring at least four persons.
In the late afternoon, a “man stabbed a woman,” according to NHK, and the police were called.
The man opened fire on four individuals before fleeing and barricading himself in a building when police got on the scene, according to NHK.
NHK reported the suspect was wearing a camouflage hat, top and bottoms with sunglasses and a mask.
Nakano City urged citizens to stay indoors in a statement posted onto social media Thursday.
Gun violence is extremely rare in Japan. The country has one of the lowest rates of gun crimes in the world due to its extremely strict gun control laws.
In 2018, Japan, a country of 125 million people, only reported nine deaths from firearms – compared with 39,740 that year in the United States, according to data compiled by the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow