Abe was flown by helicopter from the scene and taken to Nara Medical University Hospital, where he had no vital signs upon arrival, Hidetada Fukushima, the doctor who treated Abe said at a news conference. The former premier suffered two gunshot wounds to his neck and damage to his chest. He was given transfusions but was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m., after massive blood loss.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe – Japan’s longest-serving premier and a figure of enduring influence – died after being shot at a campaign event Friday in an attack that shocked a nation where political violence and guns are rare.
Abe, 67, was shot from about 3 meters (10 feet) away with what appeared to be a homemade firearm in the western city of Nara, as he was giving a campaign speech for his ruling Liberal Democratic Party ahead of a Sunday election. Video and images from the scene showed the former premier collapsing to the ground, with blood on his shirt.
