Three children injured in school shooting in Finland – 12-year-old arrested

The school has around 800 pupils and 90 employees.

The police were notified of the incident at 9 a.m. local time and urged people to stay away from the area.

– Do not open the door to strangers, was the police’s call.

An eyewitness who works nearby told the newspaper Iltalehti that he heard shots coming from the school grounds.

Terrible scream

– I didn’t understand at first that it was a gun. Then I heard a terrible scream, and several children ran across the courtyard, he says.

Another eyewitness tells the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that two ambulances left the school at 10am, and Finnish police confirm that three children have been injured and sent to hospital. The condition is not known.

The police state that both the victims and the perpetrator are twelve years old, but it is not known what may have been the motive behind the shooting, which is said to have taken place inside a classroom.

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The perpetrator was in possession of a firearm when he was arrested.

Deeply shocked

Vantaa has around 200,000 inhabitants, is Finland’s fourth largest city and is located around 20 kilometers north of Helsinki.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo writes on X that he is deeply shocked by the incident in Vanda.

My thoughts go out to the victims, their relatives and other students and staff at the school, he writes.