A 12-year-old Finnish student suspected of fatally shooting a classmate and injuring two others tells police he was bullied at school, as a nation shocked by the attack marks a day of mourning. officials announced Wednesday.
The suspect, a sixth grade student at a school in the Helsinki suburb of Vantaa, was arrested less than an hour after the shooting on Tuesday morning.
Police said the gunman and victims were all classmates.
Finland’s government calls for a nationwide day of mourning after a 12-year-old child allegedly opened fire on students
“The motive behind the act was determined to be bullying,” East Uusimaa Police Station, which is in charge of the investigation, said in a statement.
“During interrogation, the suspect stated that he had been the subject of bullying, and this information was also confirmed by the police’s preliminary investigation. The suspect had transferred to Viertra School earlier this year.”
Candles, flowers and other memorials will be placed at Viertla School in Vantaa, Finland on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. A 12-year-old student opened fire at a secondary school in southern Finland on Tuesday morning, killing one person and seriously injuring two others. Police said other students were also present. The suspect was later arrested. (Jussi Nukari/Lehtikuva, via AP)
The minimum age of criminal responsibility in Finland is 15 years, which means a suspect cannot be formally arrested. Suspects under the age of 15 may be questioned by police only before being turned over to child welfare authorities.
On Wednesday, Finland’s blue and white flag was flown at half-staff, and thousands of people, including parents, teachers and classmates, laid flowers and lit candles in the snowy landscape near the school building where the shooting occurred. was lit.
Police said one of the injured girls had dual citizenship from Finland and Kosovo.
According to police, the boy was shot and died instantly. The suspect was arrested in the Helsinki area less than an hour after the shooting, with a “handgun resembling a revolver” in his possession. The gun was licensed to a relative of the suspect, who was not immediately identified. Police said the man admitted to the shooting during an initial police hearing.
Finland experienced two large-scale school shootings in 2007 and 2008, resulting in fatalities. In response to the incident, the country tightened its gun laws, raising the minimum age for firearm possession and giving police more powers to conduct background checks on individuals applying for firearms licenses.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The country of 5.6 million people has more than 1.5 million licensed firearms and about 430,000 license holders, according to Finland’s Interior Ministry. Hunting and gun ownership are deeply rooted traditions in this sparsely populated Scandinavian country, and target practice is a widely practiced hobby.
