Kauhajoki school shooting

Coordinates: 62°25′45″N 022°10′54″E / 62.42917°N 22.18167°E / 62.42917; 22.18167
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Nneonneo (talk | contribs) at 04:13, 24 September 2008 (+culinary arts to merge other section). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Kauhajoki school shooting
Police cars in front of the Kauhajoki vocational college, after the shooting.
LocationKauhajoki, Finland
Coordinates62°25′45″N 022°10′54″E / 62.42917°N 22.18167°E / 62.42917; 22.18167
DateSeptember 23, 2008 (2008-09-23)
11:00–12:30 (UTC+3)
TargetKauhajoki vocational college
Attack type
School shooting, mass murder, murder-suicide, copycat[1]
WeaponsWalther P22,[2] incendiary grenades[3]
Deaths11 (including the perpetrator).[4]
Injured1[4]
PerpetratorMatti Juhani Saari

The Kauhajoki shooting incident was a school shooting that occurred on 23 September 2008, at a vocational school[5] in Kauhajoki, a city in the province of Southern Ostrobothnia in Western Finland. The gunman, 22-year-old culinary arts student[6] Matti Juhani Saari, shot and killed 10 people with a semi-automatic pistol, before shooting himself in the head. He died a few hours later in Tampere University Hospital[7].

The shootings took place at a school owned by the Seinäjoki Municipal Federation of Education.[8] The facilities and campus were shared between the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences and the Seinäjoki Vocational Education Centre - Sedu.[8] Saari was a second year student in a Bachelor of Hospitality Management degree programme.[9]

The incident was the second school shooting in less than a year in Finland, the other one being the Jokela school shooting in November 2007, in which eight people were killed. Before that, only one other school shooting had taken place in the country's history, in Rauma in 1989, killing two people.[10]

The shooting

A Sisu Pasi armoured police vehicle near the scene of the shooting.

The shootings began at approximately 11:00 a.m. (UTC+3), when roughly 200 people were assembled inside the college. Saari gained access through the school's basement. He was armed with a Walther P22 Target semi-automatic firearm and some incendiary devices. He wore dark clothing and a balaclava (ski mask).[11][12] The school's caretaker Jukka Forsberg, who survived but had several shots directed at him, said "[The gunman] was very well prepared. He walked calmly."[13]

Finnish news agency Suomen Tietotoimisto (STT) said that in addition to the firearm, Saari was equipped with explosives and that there was a fire in the school.[3] Saari initially opened fire on a group of students writing their exams, and proceeded to enter at least one other classroom.[13] The police forces, bolstered by a number of armored vehicles, arrived a short time later, and were able to evacuate the school and extinguish the blaze. Saari remained at large on the college grounds for approximately 90 minutes,[12] before finally turning the gun on himself.[13]

Saari was transported to Tampere University Hospital, where he was treated for a gunshot wound in the head. He died a short time later.[14][15] Saari was originally from Pohjois-Pohjanmaa, but lived in Kauhajoki[16] because he was studying catering at the college.[17] Saari appeared to have spent weeks planning his rampage, previously having obtained a gun license in August 2008.[13]

YouTube videos

File:YouTube Saari.JPG
Saari declares "You will die next" in a YouTube video posted before the shootings.

Before the incident, Saari had posted several videos on YouTube under the username of "Wumpscut86", showing him firing a gun at a local rifle range. The YouTube user channel was accompanied by the quote "Whole life is war and whole life is pain. And you will fight alone in your personal war" (lyrics from the song "War" by German band [[::wumpscut:|:wumpscut:]])[18]. among the user's YouTube account favorites was footage of the Columbine High School massacre. On 19 September he posted a video of himself pointing a gun at the video camera and saying "You will die next", before firing several shots.[13][18] His YouTube account, on which he called himself "Mr. Saari", was suspended after the incident.[3][19]

According to Finnish state broadcaster YLE, Interior Minister Anne Holmlund was reported to have said that the police had been informed about the videos on the previous Friday. The police talked to Saari and searched his home the day before the incident, on Monday 22 September; but found no reason to cancel his weapons license. Starting in August 2008, Saari had gained a temporary gun license for a .22-caliber (5.6 mm) pistol. It was announced that the actions of the police would be investigated.[14][20]

Government response

On 23 September 2008, at a government crisis-meeting following the incident, Finnish Justice Minister Tuija Brax said that Finnish gun law should be reviewed "as soon as possible". Brax, however, did not specify what actions would be taken. Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen pledged government action during the aftermath of the tragedy. Katainen too, was not able to specify what measures the government would be taking.[21] The Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen had described it as a "tragic day" and appealed for unity in the hope "that events like these will not happen again."[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Crowley, Sean (2008-09-23 20:26 GMT). "Focus on gun law after Finland killings". BBC News. Retrieved 2008-09-24. Although there were calls after the Jokela attack to tighten up Finland's liberal gun laws and strengthen school security, little has been done. Today's copycat shooting will almost certainly change that. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Keskustelupalstoilla arvaillaan jo Kauhajoen ampujaa"". Iltalehti.fi. 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) (Finnish).
  3. ^ a b c Matti Huuhtanen (2008-09-23). "Gunman opens fire at school, 9 dead". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  4. ^ a b YLE Television News at 2008-09-23. updated at 18:12 EET.
  5. ^ "Shooting incident in Kauhajoki". News. Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23. Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences and the Vocational Education Centre Sedu have encountered a tragic shooting incident in their joint premises in Kauhajoki, 60 kilometers from Seinäjoki. A student of the university of applied sciences has killed at least nine other people with gun shots.
  6. ^ "11 killed in Finnish school shooting". Dawn. 2008-09-24. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE48M92I20080923?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
  8. ^ a b "Kauhajoen tragediaa koskeva tiedotustilaisuus 24.9.2008". Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  9. ^ "Tavallisen oloinen nuorukainen kertoi internetissä vihaavansa ihmisiä". Helsingin Sanomat. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  10. ^ "School Shootings Rare in Finland". YLE. 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "'Nine dead' in Finland shooting". Belfast Telegraph. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23. Police have said the gunman, a 20-year-old student at the school in the southwestern town of Kauhajoki, then shot himself but his condition is unclear. Police Superintendent Jussi Muotio said: "The incident is over now," but declined to give more details. [..] The gunman was carrying an automatic weapon and wearing a ski mask when he entered the college, reports said.
  12. ^ a b "'Several dead' in Finland shooting". Al Jazeera English. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23. Mia Ylonen, a radio journalist, told Al Jazeera from Helsinki: "The man entered the school via the basement wearing a balaclava and carrying a briefcase. [...] The subsequent shooting lasted for about 90 minutes, witnesses said.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "Finnish school gunman kills nine". BBC News. 2008-09-23T15:24Z. Retrieved 2008-09-23. At least nine people have been killed and two others seriously wounded in a shooting spree at a vocational college in Finland, local reports say. Police said the gunman, thought to be a 20-year-old student Matti Juhani Saari, then shot himself, although his condition is now unclear. [..] Tuesday's shootings in Kauhajoki, some 330km (205 miles) north of the capital, Helsinki, began just before 1100 local time (0800 GMT) [..] But hospital sources and the mayor of the town were later quoted as saying the attacker had turned his gun on himself. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ a b "Poliisi ei poistanut asetta ampujalta maanantaina". YLE (in Finnish). Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  15. ^ "Kauhajoen ampuja on kriittisessä tilassa" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  16. ^ "Kuka avusti Kauhajoen ampujaa nettivideoiden teossa?". Ilta-Sanomat. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  17. ^ Rayner, Gordon (2008-09-23). "Finnish school shooting: how killer 'calmly' picked off his victims". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ a b "Finnish school shooting: Police 'investigate YouTube link'". The Telegraph. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "Wumpscut86's Channel - Mirror of Saari's suspended YouTube channel". YouTube, mirror of. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  20. ^ "Den misstänkte förhördes redan i går". Swedish YLE (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  21. ^ "Government Vows to Take Action Following Kauhajoki". YLE. Retrieved 2008-09-23.

External links

Wikinews has related news:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kauhajoki shooting incident.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kauhajoki_school_shooting&oldid=240608848"