Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe dies after being shot during speech, suspect arrested

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe died Friday after he was was shot in the chest during a speech in the western city of Nara.  

Abe was giving a stump speech on the street ahead of Sunday's election for the upper house of parliament when he was attacked by a man with a handgun, according to the Japan Times and Nara police. 

The suspect was arrested at the scene around 11:30 a.m. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said police tackled and arrested a male suspect at the scene of the shooting.

Photo of the suspect that shot Japanese former PM Shinzo Abe. The weapon looks like a custom sawed-off shotgun. pic.twitter.com/eVDcZPZ5xW

— Global: MilitaryInfo (@Global_Mil_Info) July 8, 2022

Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, of Nara City, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police said, according to NHK. A gun confiscated from the scene appeared to be homemade, police said. 

Abe was reportedly bleeding from the chest and unconscious when rushed to the hospital.

Gun ownership is highly restricted in Japan. Citizens cannot own handguns, only shotguns and air rifles, and must regularly requalify. 

Another angle of the immediate aftermath of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe being shot. pic.twitter.com/AFJdqjKQKT

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) July 8, 2022

This story is developing.