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Finland:Eight Dead in School Shooting
And I thought this was an American problem
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At least eight people have been killed in a school shooting in Tuusula, southern Finland. According to Eero Hirvensalo, chief doctor at the Töölö Hospital in Helsinki, several others were injured. Hirvensalo said the suspect is in critical condition.
He also said the death toll could still rise.
According to Tuusula police, a female principal was one of the victims. Five male students and two female students were also killed. Police said that no shots were fired by officers, and that the 18-year old high school male most likely shot himself in the head.
The young man is a senior at the school. He has no criminal background, and comes from a family of four where he is the oldest child. He received his gun permit a few weeks ago, and is a member of a shooting club.
Some 460 pupils attend the school, which serves as both a high school and middle school.
Crisis Centre Set Up
A crisis centre has been set up at the Jokela Church, located at Kouluraitti 11 in Tuusula. Parents can contact the centre for information on students. Pupils’ parents can also call the crisis centre number 09 417 2131. The Red Cross is also offering crisis services at the number 02 03 66 266. Aija Rinkinen, the head of education in Tuusula, can also be contacted at 040 314 3410.
Prayer vigils are being held at different churches around the country.
The Ministry of the Interior is recommending flags to be raised at half-mast across Finland on Thursday starting at 8.00, and ending at sundown.
HELSINKI, Finland — A teen opened fire at a school in southern Finland Wednesday, killing eight, after posting a video warning about the massacre on the Internet.
The shooter — an 18-year-old man — turned his gun on himself and later died at a local hospital.
Finnish media said the shooter revealed his plans in a YouTube posting before the attack.
A YouTube video titled “Jokela High School Massacre” showed a picture of a building by a lake and two photos of a young man holding a hand gun. The person who posted the video was identified in the user profile as an 18-year-old man from Finland.
The profile contained a text calling for a “revolution against the system.”
Police could not immediately be reached to comment on the video.
Kim Kiuru, a teacher at the school, said the principal announced over the PA system just before noon (1000GMT) that all students should remain in their classrooms.
“I stayed in the corridor to listen to more instructions having locked my classroom door,” Kiuru told the YLE radio station. “After that I saw the gunman running with what appeared to be a small caliber handgun in his hand through the doors toward me after which I escaped to the corridor downstairs and ran in the opposite direction.”
