2-4-2024 (HELSINKI) Three 12-year-old children were injured in a shooting incident at a school in Finland on Tuesday, with the suspected shooter, also 12 years old, taken into custody by the authorities, as confirmed by the police.
The wounded victims were promptly transported to the hospital, according to a police spokesperson speaking to Reuters. Law enforcement officials cordoned off a section of the school building, while parents retrieved their children from another school building situated hundreds of meters away.
The arrest transpired without incident, with both the suspect and the weapon now under police control, as stated by the authorities. However, no further details regarding the incident were immediately provided.
The Viertola school, located in Vantaa, a suburb of the capital Helsinki, accommodates approximately 800 pupils ranging from first to ninth grade, alongside a staff comprising 90 individuals, as per the local municipality.
Principal Sari Laasila of the Viertola school informed Reuters that the immediate threat had been neutralized, refraining from elaborating further on the matter.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen expressed her dismay, remarking, “The day started in a horrifying way … I can only imagine the pain and worry that many families are experiencing at the moment. The suspected perpetrator has been caught.”
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo also conveyed his shock at the incident, extending his thoughts to the victims, their families, and the school community.
The tragic event evokes memories of previous school shootings in Finland, which have prompted a re-evaluation of the country’s gun policies.
In 2007, Pekka-Eric Auvinen unleashed a deadly assault, claiming the lives of six students, the school nurse, the principal, and ultimately himself, using a handgun at Jokela High School near Helsinki.
A year later, in 2008, another student named Matti Saari embarked on a shooting spree at a vocational school in Kauhajoki, located in northwest Finland. The rampage resulted in the deaths of nine students and one male staff member, followed by Saari’s suicide.
In response to these tragedies, Finland implemented stricter gun legislation in 2010, mandating an aptitude test for all firearms licence applicants, along with raising the age limit for applicants from 18 to 20 years old.
Despite these measures, Finland boasts more than 1.5 million licensed firearms and approximately 430,000 licence holders within its population of 5.6 million individuals, reflecting the enduring popularity of hunting and target shooting in the country.
