INQUIRER Sports

SAIPAN--A gunman went on the rampage in the Northern Mariana Islands in the western Pacific on Friday, killing at least four people and wounding six, including five Korean tourists, officials said.

An Asian gunman killed four local people, including two children aged four and three, and critically injured a four-year-old girl in an apparent random shooting spree at a local shooting range, police said.

The man then drove in a van to Last Command Post Park, a popular tourist destination and opened fire on a group of South Korean tourists, according to police spokesman Jason T. Tarkonga.

The gunman, believed to be aged in his late 30s to early 40s, apparently killed himself following the shooting spree but his motive was unclear, officials said.

The injured South Korean tourists included a 39-year-old man critically wounded when he was shot in the back, and two other men aged 38 who were reported to be in a stable condition.

Two Korean children aged eight and five were treated and released after receiving minor cuts during the rampage.

After shooting the tourists, the gunman drove to the nearby Banzai Cliffs area on the northern tip of Saipan island.

"Police officers approached Banzai Cliff and were met with tour buses and witnesses reporting a man shooting a rifle at the area," Tarkonga said.

Police found the gunman's van with smoke pouring from it and three rifles inside. The body of the shooter was found nearby with a gunshot wound to the head and another rifle.
Governor Benigno R. Fitial said the situation was under control and confirmed the gunman had taken his own life.

"I want to extend my heartfelt remorse and sadness to the individuals and families that were affected," he said.

Fitial's deputy, Lieutenant Governor Eloy Inos, told journalists the shootings were "an unfortunate but isolated case" and the gunman's motive was not clear.

"We feel bad about this thing. We feel for the families of the victims," Inos said.
The Northern Marianas' economy is heavily dependent on tourists, particularly from Japan and South Korea, and Inos was quick to try to reassure potential visitors.

"We want to assure the community and our tourists that the commonwealth is still a good place to visit," he said.

Last Command Post Park was the site where the Japanese military commanders were based during the final advance of American troops during World War II.

The nearby Banzai Cliffs site is also popular with tourists and was where thousands of Japanese civilians living on the island threw themselves into the sea as the Japanese defeat loomed.

The Northern Mariana Islands has a population of about 89,000 people, and is a self governing commonwealth in union with the United States, lying about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines.