On Friday (8 Jul), the world reeled in shock when former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot while making a speech.
As he was rushed to hospital in critical condition, many prayed that he would survive against the odds.
Unfortunately, Mr Abe passed away as his heart had been penetrated after suffering three gunshot wounds.
Source: Twitter
At about 11.30am, Mr Abe was giving a speech in Nara, western Japan when he was shot in broad daylight.
Reuters reported that the 67-year-old collapsed following the attack and was bleeding. He had also reportedly entered a state of cardiac arrest when emergency responders arrived.
Source: Twitter
The local fire department was also quoted as saying that the former leader was “showing no vital signs”.
According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, Mr Abe was sent to Nara Medical University Hospital, where doctors fought to save his life.
Sadly, he was declared dead at 5.03pm, local time.
Later at 6.10pm, doctors responsible for his treatment held a press conference, detailing the injuries the former PM had suffered.
Source: NHK
Even before arriving at the hospital, he’d gone into cardiopulmonary arrest at the site of attack, said Dr Hidetada Fukushima, head of emergency services at the hospital.
He also lost vital signs as he was being transported.
When he reached hospital, doctors found two gunshot wounds about 5cm apart in Mr Abe’s neck, on the front side of his body.
There was also a third wound in his upper chest, near the shoulder.
Although no bullets were found in his body, one of the wounds was “deep enough to reach his heart”, Dr Fukushima said.
Source: Twitter
This caused damage to blood vessels and bleeding.
Following a 4.5-hour open-heart surgery involving more than 20 medical staff, they managed to plug the big wound in Mr Abe’s heart.
They also made use of more than 100 units of blood in transfusions.
However, his heartbeat didn’t return.
The cause of death was determined to be blood loss.
Dr Kimihiko Yoshikawa, director of the hospital, said his death was “a shame”.
Describing the act as “brutal”, he added that they did everything they could to save him.
The doctor’s description of the gunshot wounds being at the front of Mr Abe’s body ties in with a video of the incident posted on Weibo.
In the video posted by the China Daily on the social media platfrom, the first shot rings out as he is speaking while standing on an elevated platform.
As he hears the shot, Mr Abe freezes for a moment and turns to his left to face the suspect.
Source: China Daily on Weibo
The second shot is then heard, after which he stumbles to the ground.
Security then tackle the suspect to the ground.
Source: China Daily on Weibo
The 41-year-old suspect has been identified as Yamagami Tetsuya, an unemployed Nara resident who reportedly was a member of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force — equivalent to the navy.
Japanese Defence Ministry officials were quoted by NHK as saying that he worked for them for three years till 2005.
Local media also said that he’d told the police that he was “dissatisfied” with Mr Abe.
A device that was seized at the scene appeared to be a handmade gun.
Source: Twitter
The device was spotted by Yamagami’s side in photos taken prior to the incident.
Source: Twitter
Police raided Yamagami’s apartment in Nara that same afternoon, finding objects that were possibly explosives, reported NHK.
Source: NHK
Nearby residents were evacuated for one hour as a precaution.
Police officers later carried out 10 boxes of items as evidence.
During a police press conference at 9.30pm, a police official said the gun used was apparently handmade and 40cm long.
The death of Japan’s longest-serving PM is a tragedy indeed.
Now that we know how he passed, attention will invariably turn to the suspect and the motive for the shocking act.
MS News sends our deepest condolences to Mr Abe’s family and all others who knew him.
Hopefully, the authorities will get to the bottom of why this happened to provide some closure to them.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Anthony Quintano on Flickr and Twitter.
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