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Aichi cops release new details in shooting death of yakuza in Nagoya

The getaway car in the shooting death of a Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi member was found on fire about 2 kilometers away
The getaway car in the shooting death of a Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi member was found on fire about 2 kilometers away

AICHI (TR) – Aichi Prefectural Police announced on Sunday that it is likely the suspects in the shooting death of an organized crime member in Nagoya last Friday intentionally set their getaway car blaze and that the victim was a user of illegal drugs, reports NHK (July 17).

Police found a gasoline container near the silver sedan that was used to flee the scene after two assailants entered a fourth-floor residence of a building in the Shinsakae area of Naka Ward and shot Tatsuo Saiki, a 64-year-old upper-level member of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, in the head and chest.

Saiki was confirmed dead about one and a half hours later after being transported to a nearby hospital.

About 20 minutes after the incident, the sedan was found on fire in the parking lot of a shrine located about two kilometers from the residence. Police believe that the suspects poured flammable liquid inside the vehicle before setting it ablaze in an effort to conceal evidence.

According to NHK (July 17), police also revealed that a 68-year-old man who was present in the room with Saiki at the time of the shooting was prosecuted on Sunday for the use of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs. Further, an examination of the body of Saiki revealed the presence of the illegal drugs.

The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi formed last summer following the dissolution of the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi. Police suspect that the shooting incident is connected to the split.