A 12-year-old student was killed and two fellow classmates were seriously injured in a school shooting in Finland on Tuesday morning, with another classmate detained as the suspected shooter.
Tragedy struck at the Jokiranta school in Vantaa, a suburb of Helsinki, on Tuesday morning as a sixth-grade boy allegedly went on a shooting spree reportedly using a gun obtained from one of his close relatives, who owned it legally. The suspect was still holding the gun at the time of his arrest.
According to Finnish broadcaster YLE, one 12-year-old student died during the shooting and two others were seriously injured. Their condition is not fully known due to hospital privacy restrictions due to their age.
Police said that the suspected shooter was also 12 and from the same grade as the victims. The police said that the suspect and the victims were all Finnish. So far, no motive for the shooting has been revealed.
TOPSHOT – Finnish police investigate the scene at the primary school Viertola comprehensive school where a child opened fire and injured three other children, on April 2, 2024 in Vantaa, outside the Finnish capital Helsinki. Police said, that the attacker was in custody, and “All those involved in the shooting incident are minors”. (Photo by Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva / AFP) / Finland OUT (Photo by MARKKU ULANDER/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images)
The child is being investigated for murder and attempted murder, given that the attack fulfilled the requirements of brutality and planning. “If you go to school with a gun, you may find that there is some planning,” said local police chief Kimmo Hyvarinen.
However, investigator Marko Sarkka said that because of the child’s age, he cannot be arrested, therefore the police will have to turn him over to social services following their interview.
The suspected shooter was not previously known to the police and did not declare intentions to wage an attack prior to Tuesday’s attack.
Family members of pupils of the primary Viertola comprehensive school wait to enter the school after a child opened fire and injured three other children, on April 2, 2024 in Vantaa, outside the Finnish capital Helsinki. Police said, that the attacker was in custody, and “All those involved in the shooting incident are minors”. (Photo by Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva / AFP) / Finland OUT (Photo by MARKKU ULANDER/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images)
In a press conference following the shooting, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said: “It is particularly shocking to the age of both the victims and the suspected perpetrator. On behalf of myself and the government, I would like to extend my condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased child.
“In addition, two children have been seriously injured. Our thoughts are with the victims, their teachers, the students and the staff of Viertola School. It is important that they receive all possible support.
“Today and the next few days we need presence, caring and comforting arms, words of consolation. And it’s really important that this is talked about more broadly in homes. I want to say to Finnish children and young schoolchildren that Finnish authorities and school staff do their utmost every day to prevent this from happening.”