“Shocking scene” –

It is not the first school shooting in Finland that occurred around 8 am on Tuesday 2 April. What is striking is the age of the suspect: a 12-year-old student, the same age as the injured classmates, at least three according to the website of the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat. It all started when the police were called to reports of gunshots at the Viertolan school, in the town of Vantaa, 20 kilometers north of the capital Helsinki. The police cordoned off the area of ​​the institute which hosts 800 students, aged between 7 and 15, who have just returned from the Easter holidays, and 90 teachers and school staff.

As mentioned, three minor boys were injured. It is not yet clear why the 12-year-old stopped by the police shot up at school and how he came into possession of the firearm.

“The scene of the shooting in Vantaa is deeply shocking. My thoughts go out to the victims, their loved ones and the other students and staff of the Viertolan school. We are following the situation closely and await updated information from the authorities”, declared the first Finnish minister Petteri Orpo. As mentioned, similar episodes have already occurred in the Scandinavian country. In 2019, a sword-wielding student killed one person and injured ten others before being stopped by police in Kuopio. School shootings resulted in nine deaths in Tuusula in 2007 and ten in Kauhajoki two years later.