The 12-year-old school shooter has admitted the act. According to the police’s assessment, the boy has also understood the consequences of his action.
- The Viertola school shooter is in the custody of the social authorities. A 12-year-old boy is not criminally responsible.
- The boy shot three of his classmates, killing one and seriously injuring two. He also allegedly threatened elementary school students in Helsinki at the end of his escape trip.
- School shootings have been motivated by bullying. The boy had attended Viertola school’s sixth grade for less than three months.
The police have questioned the 12-year-old school shooter once. The boy behaved matter-of-factly during the interrogation.
– He has been cooperative and willing to cooperate up to a certain point, the crime commissioner leading the investigation Marko Särkkä tells.
According to Särkä, the boy has not only admitted the act, but also seems to understand it.
– He must have understood the consequences of this and what can happen if he does this.
A boy in the sixth grade of the Viertola school opened fire in the classroom on Tuesday morning. He shot three students.
A 12-year-old boy died, two girls of the same age were rushed to the hospital. They suffered serious injuries.
A few emergency calls
According to the police, the motive for the school shooting is bullying. The school shooter had moved to the sixth grade at the Viertola school on January 8.
Director of basic education in the city of Vantaa Ilkka Kalo did not comment on whether the school knew about the possible bullying at Wednesday’s press conference.
The first emergency call from the Viertola school was made at 9:08 am on Tuesday. According to investigation director Särkä, there were a few emergency calls, but less than ten.
So far, the police have not commented on the course of events or the schedule in more detail.
According to the suspicion, the boy had gotten hold of his close relative’s licensed revolver-like handgun and used it on Tuesday morning. The next of kin have not yet been heard from, but the case is being investigated as a firearms offence.
Police did not say how many shots the boy fired or whether the victims were pre-selected. The police also do not say whether cartridges were found in the boy’s possession when he was arrested.
Came to class with a gun
Heavily armed police officers arrived at Viertola school on Tuesday morning. UNDER LIESIMAA
After the shooting started, the students were locked in classrooms to wait for instructions from the authorities. The school student’s mother, interviewed by Iltalehti, said that the students at the Jokiranta branch were behind bars for hours.
Some of the students who were in the classroom where the shooting happened contacted their loved ones. One of the shooter’s classmates had time to call his parent and tell them that the boy came to class with a gun.
The police informed about the incident for the first time at 9:43. The principal of the school informed the students’ guardians during the Tuesday morning.
In addition to the media, dozens of guardians arrived in front of the Viertola school. There was a calm, but sad atmosphere.
The pupils of the Lilijatie branch were the first to leave, the pupils of the Jokiranta branch later, around 2 pm.
Threatened elementary school students
The front of the school was filled with flowers, candles, beautiful words and soft toys. Pete Anikari
The police arrested the shooter in Helsinki’s Siltamäki at 9:58 am.
The boy was found about 3.5 kilometers from the school in Viertola. The police suspect that he threatened the students of the neighboring Siltamäki elementary school just before his arrest.
According to investigation director Särkä, the shooter threatened three children of primary school age. So far, he has no more detailed information about the quality of the threat. The incident is being investigated as an illegal threat.
Pupils and staff at Siltamäki Elementary School were also urged to protect themselves on Tuesday morning.
Principal Anna-Mari Jaatinen commented to Iltalehte on Wednesday that yesterday’s school day went well.
– We monitor the environment to make sure that no vague types come to school. We are trying to keep the situation safe for the students as always, he said at the time of the lockdown.
Crisis assistance is offered
SPR employees were on duty in front of Viertola school on Wednesday morning. Jani Korpela
Crisis workers were on duty in the school yard on Wednesday morning. They were also on duty in the classrooms.
The head of basic education, Kalo, told the city’s press conference that especially the younger students wanted to talk about what happened.
Otherwise, the school day following the tragedy was shortened and lightened. The morning began with a moment of silence to honor the memory of the dead student.
The school yard was filled with candles, flowers and soft toys. The tickets were half-staffed all over Finland.
According to Kalo, an “almost normal number” of students arrived at school on Wednesday.
– The students’ well-being was good considering the situation. Children start to act normally given the circumstances quite quickly.
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