Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe Confirmed Dead After Shooting

UPDATE (5:00am) : Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirmed dead after he was shot in the neck during a campaign speech Friday.

He was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m. local time, a hospital official said.

Abe was shot earlier in the day during a speech in Nara.

TOKYO (AP)  — Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and critically wounded during a campaign speech Friday.

He was airlifted to a hospital but officials said he was not breathing and his heart had stopped.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Abe was in “grave condition” and he hoped Abe will survive.

The 67-year-old Abe was Japan’s longest-serving leader before stepping down in 2020.

Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of the shocking attack in a country that’s one of the world’s safest. NHK aired dramatic footage of Abe giving a speech when a gunshot is heard. Abe then collapsed on the street, with guards running toward him and leaping on a man nearby. An apparent handmade gun was on the ground.