Police officer in koban stabbed to death in Sendai; attacker shot dead

This is awful. RIP to the policeman. The attacker must have been Insane, lucky they stopped him.

Couldn't he shot the suspect alive?

ThomToday 11:33 am JST

Couldn't he shot the suspect alive?

Doubt he had the luxury considering the circumstances. Doubt anybody would.

Absolutely terrible. I wish the police officer rest in peace. 33 years old is very young; this is a tragedy.

I wonder if there is a security footage that showed how it happened.

Such incident underscores the need for Jcops to train in martial arts/self defense harder.

ThomToday 11:33 am JSTCouldn't he shot the suspect alive?

if someone is coming at you with a knife within close proximity (inside a koban), i doubt if the first thought in your mind would be, "where can i shoot this person without killing him?"

and i don't think any amount of martial arts training is going to protect you when an assailant is sitting next to you and surprises you with a knide.

@Boy next door

If someone is coming at you with a knife then martial arts training may not be the answer unless your skills are pretty good. The only other non-lethal alternative to a firearm would be a taser but I see Police in Japan don’t carry these.

Just goes to show you don’t know who will walk through the door of a Koban.

Glad that the attacker got shot. I wish the Japanese police would take out more bad guys with their guns.

I seriously recommend they have a metal detector for visitors when going inside a police station. Or at least a security check. Any nut job can just walk in with all kind of hidden weapons. Just not long ago a criminal just walk out of the station and is still wanted by the police.

Time for Koban to get barrier security windows and doors to keep the nuts out.

Not in direct contact with police.

Japan is not what it used to be.

Thom: One thing the police here deserve credit for is their restraint in using their firearms. Often they never even pull them out, and when they do usually only fire a warning shot at worst. In this case, the man saw his Partner on the ground, bleeding and possibly dead, and the suspect was coming at him. He did the right thing, and there's no guarantee even if he tried to just incapacitate him he wouldn't have killed him due to the stress of the situation.

RIP to Seino-san.

Meant to add, if they guy had a knife and fake gun on him, I doubt he went in there solely with the intention of handing anything in.

Anybody carrying the notion that Japan is safe is doing so at their own risk.

There are alot of mentally deranged people out there who are difficult to differentiate

from normal people that can snap at anytime and attack any unsuspecting person.

A lot of 'Mericans in here saying, "Yeah, he shoulda got shot good!"

This again. I think the Japanese cops should fire guns more often so that there would be less people trying to attack them. Like the us cops, for example.

So, let me get this straight. The culprit went to the cop shop to hand in found money. He was then taken to an interrogation room where a fight broke out. The culprit was carrying a knife and fake gun with him. Now, they are both dead and we will never know what actually happened in the room.

Do the hustle; He was then taken to an interrogation room.

It does not say that, and its likely they will know more after investigation... if it was at the front desk under CTV.

Couldn't he shot the suspect alive?

Many gunshot wounds are fatal: they are weapons designed for killing people. Even attempting a non-lethal shot for a policeman whose training is likely to be minimal could easily end in death through blood loss.

Couldn't he shot the suspect alive?

This is a huge problem with people's perceptions about the use of deadly force. The words "deadly force" are used for a reason, you use "deadly force" to kill, not maim, not injure, kill, especially when threatened by a nut that just killed your partner.

I challenge you and anyone who has never fired a weapon under stress to go to a shooting range, and attempt shooting a target 5 feet in front of you, while your blood is racing in your veins and you are scared stiff for your own life!

I am surprised the cop only shot 3 time! I probably would have unloaded a clip into the bastard!

Suicide by cop.

The guy used handing in money as a pretext to get into the police box and earn trust. Then he attacked and predictably fell in a hail of bullets. It's a quick, dopamine-fueled way to go. This is the best explanation I can fathom given the details we know.

Do the... not a "fake gun", but a "model machinegun [sic]". Was the assailant hiding that under his shirt, or what? Shouldn't that have been extremely visible?

This is terrible. My condolences to Mr Seino's family and friends.

@Sneezy guns aren't designed to kill people, they are designed to operate. At best you could say certain types of ammunition are designed to cause maximum damage to targets. I hate hearing people say "guns are designed to kill people". Almost always scare-tactics of people looking to have them banned.

And FWIW the majority of gunshot wounds are actually non fatal. It's ridiculously difficult to die of a gunshot wound in a first world country. Handguns in particular are so overrated. I feel more lethal with a sledgehammer.

Jimmy N Today  01:21 pm JST

This again. I think the Japanese cops should fire guns more often so that there would be less people trying to attack them. Like the us cops, for example.

Some have suggested that they need to integrate the police depts with non japanese like in Singapore, thus creating a balance , and minimizing the nationalistic mind set of criminals.

Well done to the cop who shot the attacker dead. Other cops in Japan need to take this example.

Time for Koban to get barrier security windows and doors to keep the nuts out.

Not in direct contact with police.

The whole point of the koban is that it is a direct, personal link between the police and the public. If you barricade the place up you may as well shut it down.

*I think the Japanese cops should fire guns more often so that there would be less (sic) people trying to attack them. Like the us cops, for example.*

> Other cops in Japan need to take this example.

The US cops are surely an example of how NOT to do things.

Considering how rarely Japanese cops are actually called on to draw their weapons, the sergeant acted quickly and properly.

It is NOT good that the attacker died (much less Officer Seino, of course): if he had been apprehended we might have learned more about why he did what he did. That said, the sergeant did what was necessary in the circumstances.

@drluciferToday  

"Anybody carrying the notion that Japan is safe is doing so at their own risk.

There are alot of mentally deranged people out there who are difficult to differentiate

from normal people that can snap at anytime and attack any unsuspecting person."

and they easily hide under the yellow radar!

Isnt this the second police officer stabbed at a Koban in the last 12 months.

@mikeylikesit

Suicide by cop.

That is exactly what I thought. Turning money in establishes a reason to be in the koban and the officer pulls out forms and gets own to paperwork, all defenses down.

Sympathies to the Seino family and to the poor officer who ended up having to shoot someone while his colleague died in front of him.

Glad that the attacker got shot. I wish the Japanese police would take out more bad guys with their guns.

I'm glad I don't live in America. The mindset is chilling amongst the gun worshippers.

RIP to the police officer and the attacker. I don't condone his horrific actions but as usual, we have no idea what drove him to this slaying.

Sounds like suicide by cop.

My condolences to Officer Seino’s family and loved ones... surely anyone entering a koban with a knife and dummy gun have more on their minds than the ruse of “returning found cash”... the seargent did the right thing and probably saved his own life. Surely there will be corroborating evidence from video. The perpetrator was on a one way mission to do harm, a deranged act. What a terrible thing for all. All life has value but...

How in the world did he carry a replica weapon into a police box without them seeing it? That officer died because he was left alone. There has to be more to this story.

Hoplophobia is thick in this comment section. You can tell who you wouldn't want to have around you in an emergency situation because they wouldn't defend anyone if it meant killing another person to save your life or theirs. They would rather run and believe in their false pride and sense of security.

How in the world did he carry a replica weapon into a police box without them seeing it? That officer died because he was left alone. There has to be more to this story.

In a bag?

Remeber the guy came to the police box to turn in some lost money, there was no reason for the police to assume the guy was anything other than a good citizen turning in a lost article. As for the replica, he could carry it in his bag, again no reason for the police to be suspicious especially for a guy who was pretending at least to be a good citizen.

The "Wild West" in Japan.

Toasted Heretic Give me a break. This is a story about what is happening in Japan. Your country is becoming the same as America. Do not deflect. This story is about Japan.

Thom - Couldn't he shot the suspect alive?

A man is standing in front of you with a knife and a possible firearm. You tell him to drop the knife and the gun. He refuses. He has already stabbed your colleague.  He moves toward you. You shoot to stop him, not to pick out an arm or leg to wound.  You pick out the biggest mass because you have a better chance of stopping him or at the worst - if you are a bad shot - you miss him. An arm and a leg are harder to hit. If you miss, you die. Thom, do you want to think again what you would do in the Sergeant's place?

Shot his legs. It’s half the body.. so easy

Shot his legs. It’s half the body.. so easy

You've seen way to many movies.

I think they should stop showing the killer's face on TV and other media. For some of these losers, killing someone is an easy way to become instantly famous.

BTW, I heard on the news that a witness heard 3 shots, but that there was a delay between the first two and the third. I wonder if the final shot was like an execution.

Toasted Heretic Give me a break. This is a story about what is happening in Japan. Your country is becoming the same as America. Do not deflect. This story is about Japan.

Yep, it's about Japan and the rare tragic occurences here that really should not mirror the daily horror that is the US.

It's insulting to the victims of such crimes for people to wish there were more guns available to shoot 'em up.

Gun ownership and worship is a disease that Japan would do well to prevent.

If that means screening NRA members and stopping them from entering the country, all well and good.

In the meantime, let's get to the root cause of young males taking this awful route.

The only way to win in a knife fight is either shoot or run. This police officer decided to shoot.