2007 Sasebo shooting
On 14 December 2007, a gunman opened fire in a gym in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, killing two people and wounding six others, among them two children. 37-year-old Masayoshi Magome, the shooter and a longtime resident of Sasebo, was found dead in a nearby Catholic church the following day, having apparently died by suicide.
Attack
At around 7:00 p.m. in local time, a masked man dressed in camouflaged clothing and armed with a Beretta AL391 shotgun opened fire in the Renaissance Sports Club during a swimming class, firing a total of ten shots. A 26-year-old woman, swimming instructor Mai Kuramoto, died at the scene, and a critically wounded 36-year-old man, fishing equipment maker Yuji Fujimoto, later died at the hospital. Another six people were injured, two of them girls aged 9 and 10. The gunman briefly held remaining gym-goers hostage before fleeing.Search for the perpetrator
The prefectural police departments of Nagasaki and neighboring Fukuoka responded to the incident shortly after, with Fukuoka deploying its Special Assault Team unit. Sasebo police began probing the homes of known shotgun owners in the city, reaching the home of licensed firearms owner Masayoshi Magome, where only his parents were present. They told officers that their son had recently asked them which church his family's graves were. Officers proceeded to said church and searched the surrounding area, but failed to locate Magome.At 1:00 a.m., Magome's car was found parked outside a different Catholic church about 1 kilometer south of the previous church. At 6:00 a.m., a gunshot was heard inside, and at 7:30 a.m. his body was found, clutching a shotgun.
Perpetrator
Masayoshi Magome was a 37-year-old unemployed man who lived with his parents and had a history of mental illness. His family was Catholic but he did not attend church services regularly. He had a permit for three shotguns and an air gun. Local police allegedly received several past complaints from Magome's neighbors that he exhibited erratic and concerning behaviors, such as roaming the city while carrying his guns and appearing at their houses late at night asking to use their bathrooms. The only measure that had been taken by the police in response to these complaints was an informal request for Magome to voluntarily hand over his guns, which he did not comply with.Investigation
Investigators claimed that Magome was acquainted with Kuramoto and Fujimoto, the two people killed, and often ate at Fujimoto's home. It was discovered that Magome had invited around five different people via telephone and email, including Fujimoto, for meeting at the gym at the time and date the shooting ultimately took place. Fujimoto was the only person invited who had shown up.Witness testimony, including Kuramoto's boyfriend, who was present during the attack, claimed that she appeared to be the Magome's main target, as she was chased down by him and shot at close range. Kuramoto's boyfriend also claimed that Magome had been stalking her for some time. Investigators concluded that Fujimoto was shot for attempting to intervene, for which his family was paid ¥3.77 million by the Nagasaki Prefectural Police as compensation.
Due to his death, prosecutors dropped the case against Magome and ceased investigations in March 2008. His motive was presumed to be "despair over mounting debts", but they were unable to ascertain details.