On 14 December 2007, a gunman opened fire in a gym in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, killing two people and wounding six others, among them two children.^[1][2][3] 37-year-old Masayoshi Magome, the shooter, was found dead in a nearby Catholic church the following day, having apparently committed suicide.^[4][5][6]

Attack

At around 7:00 p.m. in local time, a masked man dressed in camouflaged clothing and armed with a Beretta AL391 shotgun^[7] opened fire in the Renaissance Sports Club during a swimming class, firing a total of ten shots. A 26-year-old woman, swimming instructor Mai Kuramoto, died at the scene, and a critically wounded 36-year-old man, fishing equipment maker Yuji Fujimoto, later died at the hospital. Another six people were injured, two of them girls aged 9 and 10.^[1] The gunman briefly held remaining gym-goers hostage before fleeing.^[3]

Aftermath

The prefectural police departments of Nagasaki and neighboring Fukuoka deployed the Special Assault Team shortly after the incident.^[7] At 1:00 a.m., the perpetrator's car was found parked outside a Catholic church near the gym where the shooting took place. At 6:00 a.m., a gunshot was heard inside, and at 7:30 a.m. his body was found.^[4]

The perpetrator, Masayoshi Magome, was a 37-year-old unemployed man who lived with his parents and had a history of mental illness. His family was Catholic but he did not attend church services regularly.^[5] Investigators claimed that Magome was friends with Kuramoto and Fujimoto, the two people killed, and often ate at their homes.^[5] He had a permit for three shotguns and an air gun. The police allegedly received several complaints from Magome's neighbors that he roamed the city while carrying his guns.^[8]

Due to his death, prosecutors dropped the case against Magome and ceased investigations in March 2008. His motive was presumed to be "despair over mounting debts".^[9]

References