Gunman wounds three, kills self: police

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) A gunman who holed up in a building Friday afternoon in Yokohama after shooting and seriously wounding three men in a suspected dispute over a loan repayment apparently committed suicide, according to police.

The gunman, who was identified by police as 62-year-old mobster Kenji Hayashi, had holed up in the building in the Yoshinocho district of Minami Ward after the shootings, which occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m. He apparently shot himself, the police said. No hostages were taken.

Of the three wounded men, two were shot in the neck and were conscious when they were taken to a hospital.

One is in his 50s and the other is in his 60s, police said.

The third was shot in the left chest and it was not known whether he was conscious, firefighters said.

The incident took place in a busy urban area near the Yoshinocho subway station.

The gunman claimed to be a member of a gang affiliated with the Inagawa-kai underworld syndicate, a major yakuza group.

After holing up in a room in the building, the man did not respond to police calls.

Officers charged the room shortly after 4 p.m. and found the man dead. He had shot himself in the right side of the head, police said.

A revolver was found on the floor nearby, they said.

According to workers at a nearby nursery center, police had sealed off streets around the building after the shooting and issued warnings to locals through loud speakers.

Yoshinocho Station was also temporarily shut down.