CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police on Monday revealed that the four family members who were allegedly stabbed — one fatally — by a former city councilman had gathered at a restaurant for a celebration, reports TV Asahi (May 14).
At around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, Motomu Oda, a 46-year-old former councilman for Chiba City, withdrew a knife from a bag and stabbed a man (44), his wife (42) and their two children (1 and 6) at a table at the izakaya restaurant in Inage Ward.
The 6-year-old girl, an elementary school student named Ayumi, received wound to the back. She was later confirmed dead at a hospital due to shock from loss of blood. One stab wound reached a lung, according to police.
Meanwhile, the man and his wife suffered wounds in multiple locations of the upper body and other areas. Their injuries are expected to require between two weeks and one month to heal. The 1-year-old girl received light injuries to her forehead and face, police said.
In the latest development, police said that the four family members and the suspect, who is the older brother of the wife of the man, had arrived at the restaurant to celebrate the birthday of the suspect.
After letting out a scream
In carrying out the crime, Oda let out a scream while stabbing the man, who was seated next to him, in the buttocks. He then stabbed Ayumi, seated in front of him. Next, he targeted the man’s wife, slashing her repeatedly in the upper body.
After a staff member apprehended Oda, police arrested him on suspicion of attempted murder. At the time of his arrest, he declined to comment on the allegations. He was sent to prosecutors on Tuesday.
Since the knife was in the bag, police believe that Oda planned the crime beforehand. Police are now seeking a motive for the crime.
In 2009, Oda was first elected to the city council. Four years later, his father was involved in a violent incident. “After the trouble with his father, he gave no reaction even if he was being talked to,” a city councilor was quoted by the Mainichi Shimbun (May 15). “It was as if he had lost his mind and body.”
