Current:Home > MarketsA 12-year-old suspected of killing a classmate and wounding 2 in Finland told police he was bullied-LoTradeCoin
A 12-year-old suspected of killing a classmate and wounding 2 in Finland told police he was bullied
View Date:2024-12-23 20:22:52
HELSINKI (AP) — A 12-year-old student suspected of fatally shooting a classmate and wounding two others in Finland told police that he was bullied at school, officials said Wednesday, as a nation shocked by the attack held a day of mourning.
The suspect, a sixth grader who attended the school in the city of Vantaa, just outside Helsinki, was apprehended less than an hour following the shooting on Tuesday morning.
The shooter and the victims were all classmates, police said.
“The motive for the act has been found to be bullying,” the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department, which is in charge of the investigation, said in a statement.
“The suspect has said during interrogations that he was the target of bullying, and this information has also been confirmed in the preliminary investigation by the police. The suspect had transferred to Viertola school at the beginning of this year.”
The minimum age of criminal liability in Finland is 15 years, which means the suspect cannot be formally arrested. A suspect younger than 15 can only be questioned by the police before they are handed over to child welfare authorities.
On Wednesday, Finnish blue-and-white flags were hoisted at half-staff and scores of people including parents, teachers and fellow students laid flowers and lit candles in the snowy landscape near the school building where the shooting occurred.
Police said one of the wounded girls has a dual Finland-Kosovo citizenship.
The deceased boy died instantly after being shot, police said. The suspect was detained in the Helsinki area less than an hour after the shooting with a “a revolver-like handgun” in his possession. The gun was licensed to a relative of the suspect who was not immediately identified. Police said he admitted to the shooting in an initial police hearing.
Finland has witnessed two major deadly school shootings in 2007 and 2008. In their wake, the country tightened its gun laws, raising the minimum age for firearms ownership and giving police greater powers to perform background checks on individuals applying for a gun license.
The nation of 5.6 million has more than 1.5 million licensed firearms, and about 430,000 license holders, according to the Finnish Interior Ministry. Hunting and gun-ownership are deeply rooted traditions in this sparsely-populated northern European country, where target practice is also a widespread hobby.
___
Associated Press writer Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report.
veryGood! (9637)
Related
- Blake Snell free agent rumors: Best fits for two-time Cy Young winner
- Stock market today: Asian shares mostly rise, boosted by Wall Street records as Tesla zooms
- Governors in the West Seek Profitability for Industrial and Natural Carbon Removal Projects
- US deports 116 Chinese migrants in first ‘large’ flight in 5 years
- Dramatic video shows Phoenix police rescue, pull man from car submerged in pool: Watch
- Plans to demolish Texas church where gunman opened fire in 2017 draw visitors back to sanctuary
- Beyoncé's Mom Tina Knowles Defends Blue Ivy From Green Eyed Monsters
- NHL free agency winners, losers: Predators beef up, contenders lose players
- Caitlin Clark shanks tee shot, nearly hits fans at LPGA's The Annika pro-am
- Rhode Island tackles housing shortage by making it easier to add rental units on to homes
Ranking
- 'Yellowstone' premiere: Record ratings, Rip's ride and Billy Klapper's tribute
- How obscure 'Over 38 Rule' rule can impact LeBron James signing longer deal with Lakers
- Powell says Fed waiting on rate cuts for more evidence inflation is easing
- FTC says gig company Arise misled consumers about how much money they could make on its platform
- Federal judge denies request to block measure revoking Arkansas casino license
- Melissa Etheridge's daughter found new siblings from late biological dad David Crosby
- Oprah Winfrey reflects on Joan Rivers telling her to lose weight on 'The Tonight Show'
- RV explosion rocks Massachusetts neighborhood, leaving 3 with serious burn injuries
Recommendation
-
Jennifer Garner Details Navigating Grief 7 Months After Death of Her Dad William Garner
-
Which flavor won Blue Bell's discontinued flavor tournament? Here's the scoop on the winner
-
Abortion-rights advocates set to turn in around 800,000 signatures for Arizona ballot measure
-
Do US fast-food customers want plant-based meat? Panda Express thinks so, but McDonald’s has doubts
-
Utah AD Mark Harlan fined $40,000 for ripping referees and the Big 12 after loss to BYU
-
Japanese airlines outline behaviors that could get you kicked off a plane
-
Plans to demolish Texas church where gunman opened fire in 2017 draw visitors back to sanctuary
-
After mass dolphin stranding, Cape Cod residents remain shaken