EHIME (TR) – Ehime Prefectural Police have arrested a 35-year-old male gang member over the fatal stabbing of a fellow gangster at the victim’s residence in Uwajima City on Wednesday, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Mar. 1).
At around 11:50, emergency services received a call about a fight that had resulted in injuries at the residence. Emergency personnel arriving at the scene found the victim, 54, collapsed in the middle of a room.
According to the Uwajima Police Station, the victim was confirmed dead at a hospital about one hour later. Police believe he was repeatedly beat in the head and stabbed with a knife in the left thigh.
“There were some loud sounds, and it seemed like a fight was going on,” a neighbor living in the same building told TV Asahi (Mar. 1).
At around 4:00 a.m. on Thursday, police apprehended Akihito Sakuragi, who was acquainted with the victim, on a road about 30 kilometers from the residence in Seiyo City, Ehime. During voluntary questioning, he said that he was the one who placed the emergency call. He was later accused of murder.