A psychiatric examination has begun for the suspect in the fatal rifle attack at a Ground Self-Defense Force shooting range in Gifu Prefecture last month, local prosecutors said Thursday.
The Gifu District Public Prosecutor's Office obtained court approval on Wednesday to examine whether the 18-year-old suspect is mentally competent to bear criminal responsibility for the shooting. The examination will last until Nov. 24.
The June 14 shooting during a live-fire training session left Master Sgt. Yasuchika Kikumatsu, 52, and Sgt. Kosuke Yashiro, 25, dead and another 25-year-old sergeant seriously wounded.
In the incident, the suspect loaded his rifle magazine without permission and yelled, "Don't move," according to investigative sources.
The suspect shot Yashiro — who tried to stop him — in the side, before shooting Kikumatsu in the head and the other sergeant in the left thigh. He then shot the collapsed Kikumatsu once again in the back.
When the GSDF candidate was arrested on the spot on suspicion of attempting to murder Yashiro, he denied his intention to kill the three, saying that he shot people who did not lie down or put their hands up, according to the sources.
He also said that he tried to get out of the shooting range after taking the bullets, and that he was going to kill anyone who would have chased him, according to the sources. The suspect has since turned silent, the sources said.