SAITAMA (TR) – A police officer shot himself at a waste processing facility in Koshigaya City on Tuesday morning after seizing the gun of a fellow officer, reports the Saitama Shimbun (Nov. 4).
The suspect, a 37-year-old traffic division sergeant from Kasukabe Police Station who was on leave and residing in Koshigaya City, fired the stolen weapon at his own head and was rushed to hospital in an unconscious state, according to the Saitama Prefectural Police.
The incident began at around 8:45 a.m. when an emergency call came in from the sergeant himself. He claimed his son had been abducted on the way to school and urged police to respond to the Higashi-Saitama Resources and Environment Association Plant No. 1, a waste treatment facility in the Masuhayashi districty.
Four officers from Koshigaya Police Station rushed to the scene. After confirming that no child had in fact been abducted, they moved to take the man into protective custody.
The sergeant turned violent, overpowering a male patrol officer in his forties and wrenching the officer’s service pistol from its holster before firing a single round into his own head, police said.
The shooting occurred at approximately 10:05 a.m. The sergeant, who had been on leave since October 29, was transported to hospital in critical condition. The Saitama Prefectural Police said they are investigating the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
