3 killed in Japan gun, knife attack

A woman and two male police officers were killed in a shooting and stabbing attack at a farm in central Japan yesterday, media reported. A suspect, believed to be a farmer in his 30s, was holed up inside a building after the incident, which also left a fourth person injured, the reports said. Residents were urged by authorities to stay indoors in the semi-rural area around the city of Nakano in Nagano region, where the attack took place. NHK and other major outlets said the woman was stabbed and the two police officers were shot in the attack. Police did not immediately confirm details when contacted by AFP. A witness told NHK he had been working at a farm nearby when "a woman came running from the road saying 'help me', and she fell down". "Behind her came a man wearing camouflage and carrying a large knife, who stabbed her in the back," the 72-year-old witness said.