A twelve-year-old child died and two were seriously injured in connection with a school shooting in the Finnish city of Vantaa outside Helsinki.
The suspected shooter, who is also twelve years old, has been arrested and had a weapon on him at the time of arrest.
– My condolences go to the deceased, to relatives, schoolmates and staff, says the chief of police Koskimäki at a press conference.
One child has died and two children were seriously injured, police chief Ilkka Koskimäki announced at a press conference. The perpetrator fled the scene on foot after shooting inside the school.
– In this sad situation, the act could not be prevented. We will have to investigate what the cause is later, says police chief Seppo Kolehmainen.
Police: Just a suspect
The police were called to a primary school in the city of Vantaa outside Helsinki at 09.08 in the morning due to a shooting. An hour later, the police announced that three children had been injured and that one person had been arrested, all involved are twelve years old. According to the police, the child died instantly. The police do not want to comment on how many shots were fired.
The police say they were on the scene nine minutes after receiving the alarm. All stations in the vicinity helped in the work.,
– We only have one suspect right now, says police inspector Tommy Salosurie.
Investigated as murder and attempted murder
The arrest must have been peaceful and the suspected shooter had a weapon on him, according to the police. The case is being investigated as murder and two attempted murders.
As the suspect is twelve years old, he will not be able to be sentenced for the crime in court, say the police. The police state that the investigation is at an early stage, but that five criminal investigators are currently working on the case.
– The police will now investigate all questions connected to the incident, says Criminal Commissioner Kimmo Hyvärinen.
The police believe that all those involved must have attended the same class, but do not want to comment on whether the victims were chosen at random or if the perpetrator planned to harm them in particular.
No official interrogations have been held, but the suspect reportedly told the police that he was the one who shot.