CSI: Okinawa
Well it’s just past 6am and I’m sat at my computer writing a blog entry. I think I should point out straight away that it’s not because I wet the bed (I haven’t done that for weeks, in fact). The real reason is that at 5am this morning there was a knock on my door and a ring of the doorbell. My first thought is “Go away!”, but after thinking about it for a second, I reconsider and venture towards the door to have a look through my little door spyhole. See nothing so I locked the door (usually leave it unlocked) and go to my bathroom window where I can see down to the road. It’s then that I see 4 police cars, one police bus, and numerous people out of their apartments and looking down next to my apartment block. “Time to get dressed” thinks I…
So I throw some clothes on and step outside where I can get a better view of what’s happening. As I look down I can see crime scene investigators at work outside the one-storey house/mini-shop next to my apartment block. I was quite relieved the authorities hadn’t finally caught up with me, but concerned about what had happened only a short distance from my doorstep. Although it was still dark outside, the lights from torches and the street show blood on the steps and path leading up from the road to the house, and a scary bloody handprint on the vending machine next to the shop. My neighbours are also looking down at the scene unfolding below me. There were around 10 forensics people and another 10 police officers (at least), with the side road which goes by this building blocked off by police tape. Soon enough, a couple of policemen come up to me and ask, a little nervously, if I speak Japanese. I told them a little and they were asking if I had heard any commotion last night (I hadn’t, and had been at home all evening), and when I’d gone to bed (around 2215-2230). From what I could gather, something has happened at about 4am this morning. Not sure what exactly, but the inside of this old guy’s house who lives next to our apartments is covered in blood, and then he’s left a trail of blood as he left the house. The guy is in hospital but still alive, and now police are trying the find out the who, what and why of it all.
This is a serious thing, especially for a quiet village in the south of Okinawa. It’s not everyday you are woken up to find a neighbour has been the victim of an assault/attempted murder. And it’s over 2 hours since I was woken up (which was after the police had arrived) and there’s still a lot of police activity going on. I don’t know if I’ll hear any more about this, but I’ll keep my eyes and ears open and report anything I know back to you. Take care and dive safely.
or Discuss this Article
Hi Dave,
Pretty excting and scary stuff at the same time.
Hang in there and keep us updated Sherlock!