Viertola school shooting

On 2 April 2024, a shooting occurred at the Viertola school, Jokiranta site in Vantaa, Finland. The gunman, a 12-year-old student, fired a revolver at three students, all aged 12. One of the victims died and two were seriously injured.

Background
Gun ownership in Finland is closely linked to hunting and target practice. According to the Finnish Interior Ministry, there are more than 1.5 million licensed firearms in Finland, with around 430,000 licensed gun owners. That is equivalent to about 8% of the Finnish population. Finnish law provides no limit to the number of guns that can be owned per person. If the amount of personal firearms exceeds the amount of five, or if a firearm is classified as ”highly dangerous”, such as a semi-automatic pistol with a high capacity magazine, the weapons need to be "stored in such a way that they cannot easily be stolen". The age limit for a gun license in Finland is 18 years of age. Minors over the age of 15 can legally be permitted to use other people's firearms. The age limit for revolvers, which was the weapon used in the shooting, is set at 20 years of age.

Previous fatal school shootings in 2007 and 2008 led to a raised minimum age for gun ownership and increased background checks for prospective gun owners. It prompted the establishment of a "system of pre-emptive measures" allowing police to intervene if they received information on an "intent to stage an attack". An aptitude test for all gun licence applicants was introduced in 2010.

Bullying in Finland is regarded as widespread. Studies show that 8.6% of children between the ages of 10-11 experience bullying on a weekly basis.

Shooting
The police received a call about the shooting at 09:07 in the morning UTC+2. The shooting occurred in a sixth-grade classroom in the Viertola school's Jokiranta campus. The campus has classes ranging from third to sixth grade. A 12-year-old boy, wearing a mask and noise-cancelling headphones, shot three of his classmates and fled. Police arrived at the scene at 09:17. A lockdown was implemented inside the school and in nearby educational institutions.

Immediately after the shooting, a teacher arrived at the scene. The teacher managed to convince the alleged shooter to leave the classroom. After fleeing on foot, the police eventually found the suspect in the North Helsinki neighborhood of Siltamäki and took him into custody at 09:58. The revolver used in the attack was recovered as the police caught up with the shooter.

Of the three victims, one was a boy and the other two were girls. The boy died immediately from being shot. The victims were all Finnish, but one of the girls was a dual citizen of Finland and Kosovo. One of the surviving victims was discharged from hospital on April 11.

Investigation
The police are treating the incident as one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, as well as one count of an illegal threat. The legal owner of the handgun used in the shooting is being investigated for a firearms offence.

The handgun used was licensed to and owned by a close relative of the shooter. The police stated that the motive for the shooting was bullying. Yle reported that the suspect had confessed to shooting the three students. The shooter stated that they had been bullied at school. The suspect had transferred to the school at the beginning of the semester. Due to the suspect being a minor, they will not face criminal charges in accordance to Finnish law. The shooter was placed in the care of social services. National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen stated, that law enforcement had not received any information on an impending attack prior to the shooting.

Reactions


Following the shooting, some called for the minimum age of criminal responsibility, which is currently at 15 years of age, to be lowered.

The Viertola school reopened on the 3rd of April on reduced hours, with crisis counselling sessions on offer. A national day of mourning was held on the 3rd of April, during which the flag of Finland was placed at half-mast. Flowers and candles were laid down at the site of the attack. Official discussions about the shooting were held in schools across Vantaa. Students who witnessed the shooting would be having their lessons in a different building at the school.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo described the shooting as "deeply upsetting". He stated, that mental health issues of the Finnish youth must be tackled. President Alexander Stubb also expressed shock at the shooting. He offered condolences to the families of the victims while wishing them a speedy recovery. Education Minister Anna-Maja Henriksson tearfully described the shooting as a "great tragedy". She stated, that her thoughts were with the "12-year-old who will never come home from school again". Interior Minister Mari Rantanen wrote on Twitter (X) that she "can only imagine the pain and worry that many families are experiencing at the moment." Deputy Prime Minister Riikka Purra, referring to the shooting stated, that "these kinds of incidents should never happen." Leader of the Left Alliance and former Education Minister Li Andersson also described the incident as a major shock.