Published: 02/04/2024 09:01 | Updated: 02/04/2024 10:41
Three children are injured after a shooting incident at a school outside Helsinki. A minor perpetrator has been arrested, according to Finnish police.
All those involved in the shooting incident are 12 years old and pupils at the school. At first the police stated that those involved were 13 years old, a statement they later corrected.
The incident happened at Viertola primary school in Vanda.
– The immediate danger at the school is now over, says principal Sari Laasila to Reuters.
According to the police’s current information, there are three injured. They have been taken to hospital.
The perpetrator arrested in Helsinki
One perpetrator has been arrested.
– The arrest went well. The perpetrator had a firearm. The suspected perpetrator and the weapon are in the possession of the police, Finnish police write on their website.
Films and pictures in the Finnish media show that the shooter was arrested in the street and not on the school grounds.
The police state that the arrest took place in Helsinki, writes Aftonbladet.
Begins to release students
The school has around 800 pupils and 90 employees.
Pupils and staff at the school have barricaded themselves in classrooms and other rooms awaiting instructions. This is what the principal of the school tells the newspaper Ilta Sanomat.
The police have now started to let pupils out, according to the newspaper Iltalehti.
The school is divided into two parts and the shooting is said to have taken place at the part called Jokiranta.
According to MTV Uutiset, several parents and relatives have made it to the school’s premises. Some have tried to get into the premises, but have been turned away by the police.
The police received information about the incident at 9 a.m. Finnish time, and asked passers-by to stay away from the area. Neighbors were asked to stay indoors and not open their doors to strangers.
The city’s crisis team is in the meeting. Deputy head of education and training, Katri Kalske, tells Yle.
It is still not known what may have been the motive behind the shooting.
Vantaa has around 200,000 inhabitants, is Finland’s fourth largest city and is located around 20 kilometers north of Helsinki.
The case is updated.
