Story highlights Residents of disabled residential facility are attacked, at least 19 killed

Man in custody in Sagamihara after turning himself in

(CNN) At least 19 people were killed and 26 injured in a stabbing spree at a facility for disabled people west of Tokyo, making it one of Japan's deadliest mass killings since World War II. Nine men and 10 women, ranging in age from 18 to 70, were killed in the attack.

Officer Satomi Kurihara of the Sagamihara Fire Department confirmed the death toll at the Tsukui Yamayuri-en facility in Sagamihara, a residential area approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the capital.

Satoshi Uematsu, a 26-year-old who worked at the facility until February, broke in through a window about 2 a.m. Tuesday (1 p.m. ET Monday), Kanagawa Prefecture officials said at a news conference.

Photos: Japan knife attack Journalists congregate outside the Tsukui Yamayuri-en center, a care facility for the mentally disabled 25 miles west of Tokyo, where a man with a knife killed 19 and injured 26 people during a rampage early Tuesday, July 26. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Japan knife attack Investigators cover the entrance of the Tsukui Yamayuri-en center following the attack. Among the dead were nine men and 10 women, ranging in age from 18 to 70. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Japan knife attack Police officers cordon off the entrance to the Tsukui Yamayuri-en center. The attacker has been identified as 26-year-old Satoshi Uematsu, a man who had worked at the facility until February. After breaking in through a window and carrying out the attack, Uematsu turned himself into local police, officials said. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Japan knife attack Ambulance crews are seen working outside the facility, now the site of one of Japan's deadliest mass killings since World War II. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Japan knife attack The facility is home to 149 residents and situated in a bucolic mountain town. About one-third of the residents are elderly.

Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Japan knife attack Following the attack, rescue personnel fill the facility, which is in Sagamihara, Kanagawa prefecture. More than 200 people work at the care center, but only nine -- one of whom was a security guard -- were on the premises when the incident occurred. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Japan knife attack A convoy of media broadcast vans converges on the scene of the crime, which sent shock waves through Japan, where gun ownership is highly restricted and mass killings are rare. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Japan knife attack Uematsu's motivation is still unknown, but according to The New York Times' Tokyo bureau chief Motoko Rich, the suspect had taken a letter to the Japanese parliament discussing the possible use of euthanasia for the disabled. Hide Caption 8 of 8

Police said they received a call from an employee of the facility reporting the attack, according to state broadcaster NHK.

About 3 a.m., Uematsu turned himself in at the Sagamihara police station, carrying a bloodstained knife and cloth, officials said.

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