This Tuesday morning, a shooting took place in a school in the suburbs of Helsinki, the Finnish capital, causing the death of a 12-year-old child and injuring two other students. According to local police, a suspect has been arrested. 20 minutes takes stock of the elements of this drama.
What happened ?
Around 9 a.m. this Tuesday morning (8 a.m. in Paris), the eastern Uusimaa police department intervened in Jokiranta, one of the two sites of the Viertola primary school, in Vantaa, a commune close to ‘Helsinki, Finland. The first information indicates a shooting started inside this establishment where 800 students aged 7 to 15 are educated.
According to a testimony collected by the daily Iltalehti, the shootings took place in the school playground. According to another testimony to the same newspaper, it was in a classroom that the suspect fired. In the process, all the students of the establishment were confined to their classes.
When law enforcement arrived on site, they discovered a 12-year-old child deceased on site, and two other children injured. “The injuries of the two victims who were taken to hospital are very serious,” said the head of the investigation, Commissioner Marko Särkkäet. The shooter had already left the scene.
Who is the suspect?
Quickly, the local police affirmed that “the suspect is a 12-year-old student from Viertola school”. He fled the scene of the shooting on foot before police arrived, taking his gun.
An hour after the tragedy, the teenager was arrested “peacefully” while he was in the Siltamäki district of Helsinki. A video of the arrest was also broadcast on social networks.
Local police also claim that he was still carrying the firearm used in the shooting. “A weapon that belonged to a close relative,” according to local television Yle.
An investigation for “murder”
The teenager was taken into police custody after his arrest. According to the police, he “admitted the act during the preliminary interview”, without however specifying whether he had mentioned the reasons for his action. Questioned during a press briefing early in the afternoon, the authorities did not provide further explanations on the suspect’s motivations. According to the daily Iltalehtithe suspect had no criminal record and his act would not be linked to gangs or organized crime.
An investigation into “murder” and “attempted murder” has been opened. The local police also invite possible witnesses to contact their services.
For his part, the young person in question, due to his minority, cannot be subject to pre-trial detention or possible conviction. According to Yle, minors under the age of 15 are not considered criminally responsible. “He will be handed over to social services after his interrogation,” Markku Särkkä, a local police official, confirmed to the press.