Finland school shooting: 1 child killed, 12-year-old suspect detained, 2 injured

CNN
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One child was killed and two others were seriously injured in a school shooting in Finland, the country's national police announced.

The victim was 12 years old. The 12-year-old suspect, who also attends the school, fled on foot but was later arrested by police in the northern suburbs of Finland's capital Helsinki, according to the country's public broadcaster YLE.

According to YLE, police officers were called to Viertra School in the city of Vantaa around 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) on Tuesday.

YLE reported that the gun used in the shooting was authorized by the gunman's next of kin, adding that police did not have details about the motive. The suspect is charged with murder and attempted murder.

Students were locked in classrooms after the shooting, and authorities urged people to avoid schools and stay indoors.

Viertla Elementary School is located approximately 18 kilometers (11 miles) north of Helsinki. There are approximately 800 students from first grade to her ninth grade and approximately 90 staff members.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the shooting was “very shocking”.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families, as well as the other students and staff at Viertra School,” Olpo wrote about X.

Although Finland has a strong tradition of hunting and has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world, school shootings are extremely rare.

In 2007, 18-year-old schoolboy Pekkaerik Ovinen opened fire at a high school in the southern Finnish town of Tuusula, killing eight people and wounding 10 before turning the gun on himself. He had left a suicide note saying goodbye to his family.

In 2008, just months after the Tuusula shooting, Matti Juhani Saari, 22, opened fire at another school in the country, killing 10 people before shooting himself.

After the shooting, the Finnish government issued new guidelines for the use of firearms, particularly handguns and revolvers.