A devastating incident unfolded as one child was killed and two others critically wounded in a shooting at a school outside the Finnish capital on Tuesday, according to police. A 12-year-old fellow student suspected of the attack has been apprehended.
Police reported that the boy was arrested peacefully in the Helsinki suburb of Siltamaki, located 4 km south of the Viertola school in the Vantaa district.
Education Minister Anna-Maja Henriksson was visibly emotional while addressing reporters in the aftermath of the assault in a country where youth-related gun violence is uncommon.
“One 12-year-old child will never return home from school again,” she expressed tearfully.
The interior ministry announced that Wednesday would be a national day of mourning, and government buildings would fly the flag at half-mast.
Police confirmed there were no other suspects. However, they did not disclose the suspect’s identity or details about the victims, except that the suspect was a boy and the victims were all 12-year-old Finnish pupils at the school.
Police stated there were no additional suspects and provided no details on the suspect’s identity or the victims, except confirming they were all 12-year-old Finnish pupils at the school, with the suspect being a boy.
The two survivors were receiving treatment for severe injuries, according to a statement from the Helsinki regional hospital district, although no further details were provided.
Parents had to wait for three hours before they could collect their children, with emotional reunions marked by hugs outside the police barricade, some parents in tears. Children had to leave their coats behind.
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Prime Minister Petteri Orpo expressed deep shock over the shooting, urging parents to comfort their children and alleviate fears about similar incidents in the future.
“I want to reassure children and young people across Finland that the Finnish government and school staff are doing everything they can every day to prevent something like this,” Orpo said.
The suspect confessed to the attack during initial questioning, police reported, and the offences will be investigated as murder and attempted murder.
No one has yet spoken on behalf of the suspect, who will be placed in the care of social services as a child cannot be remanded in custody, according to police.
Police stated that the motive was unclear and disclosed that the handgun permit belonged to a relative of the suspect.
Video footage circulating on social media, not verified by Reuters, showed two police officers kneeling beside the suspected shooter, who was lying face down on a sidewalk.
According to the municipality, the Viertola school, with approximately 800 pupils from first to ninth grade and a staff of 90, was the site of the tragic incident.
Anja Hietamies, the mother of an 11-year-old student, received a message from her daughter after the shooting, describing being in a dark, locked classroom, unable to speak on the phone but allowed to send messages. Hietamies said her daughter was scared.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen stated, “The day started horrifyingly…I can only imagine the pain and worry that many families are experiencing at the moment. The suspected perpetrator has been caught.”
Previous school shootings in Finland have prompted scrutiny of the country’s gun policy.
In 2007, Pekka-Eric Auvinen fatally shot six students, the school nurse, the principal, and himself with a handgun at Jokela High School near Helsinki.
A year later, in 2008, Matti Saari, another student, opened fire at a vocational school in Kauhajoki in northwest Finland, killing nine students and one male staff member before taking his own life.
Finland tightened its gun regulations in 2010, implementing a mandatory skills test for all firearms license applicants and raising the minimum age from 18 to 20.
Rantanen stated at a press conference that it was premature to draw any policy conclusions from Tuesday’s attack.
Hunting and target shooting are popular activities, with more than 1.5 million licensed firearms and approximately 430,000 license holders in the country of 5.6 million people.
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Finnish police announced on Wednesday that bullying was identified as the motive behind a school shooting on the outskirts of Helsinki on Tuesday, resulting in the tragic death of a 12-year-old.
“The suspect has indicated during interrogations that he was subjected to bullying, and this detail has also been corroborated in the initial police investigation,” stated the police in a press release.
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Previous school shootings in Finland have brought significant scrutiny to the country’s gun policies.
In 2007, Pekka-Eric Auvinen used a handgun to shoot six students fatally, the school nurse, the principal, and ultimately himself at Jokela High School near Helsinki.
The following year, in 2008, another student named Matti Saari opened fire at a vocational school in Kauhajoki, located in northwest Finland. He killed nine students and one male staff member before taking his own life.
In response, Finland implemented stricter gun regulations in 2010. These measures included introducing a mandatory skills test for all firearms license applicants and raising the age limit from 18 to 20.
In the country of 5.6 million people, there are over 1.5 million licensed firearms and approximately 430,000 license holders, and hunting and target shooting are popular recreational activities.
