Student, 12, shoots 3 other 12-year–olds at Finnish school, police say

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A 12-year-old student opened fire at a lower secondary school in southern Finland Tuesday and wounded three other students, all also 12-years-old, police said.

The suspect was later arrested, police said.

Heavily armed police cordoned off the school, which has some 800 students, in the city of Vantaa, just outside the capital, Helsinki, after receiving a call about a shooting incident at 9:08 a.m.

Finnish police at a school where where a 12-year-old student allegedly opened fire and wounded three other pupils, also 12-year-olds, in Vantaa, outside the Finnish capital Helsinki, on April 2, 2024.
MARKKU ULANDER / Lehtikuva / AFP via Getty Images

Police said the suspect was arrested in the Helsinki area later Tuesday.

“The immediate danger is over,” the Viertola school’s principal, Sari Laasila, told Reuters.

“The day started in a horrifying way. There has been a shooting incident at the Viertola school in Vantaa. I can only imagine the pain and worry that many families are experiencing at the moment. The suspected perpetrator has been caught,” Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said on X.

Also on X, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called the shooting “deeply shocking.”

Finnish police officers talk to family members of pupils at the Viertola primary school where a pupil, 12, allegedly opened fire wounded three other 12-year-olds on April 2, 2024 in Vantaa, outside the Finnish capital Helsinki.
MARKKU ULANDER / Lehtikuva/ AFP via Getty Images

The motive for the shooting wasn’t initially clear.  

The victims were taken to hospital, Reuters reported, citing a police spokesperson.

Reuters said the school has students from first through ninth grade, according to the local municipality.

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  • Finland
  • Shooting

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