the child suspected of being the author of the shooting in a school, justified his action by “harassment”

The 12-year-old child, suspected of having shot and killed a classmate and seriously injured two others in a school in Finland, explained his action by the harassment of which he says he was the victim. During interrogations with the police, the suspect stated that he had been the target of harassment, which was confirmed by the preliminary investigation.

“The suspect told the police during interrogations that he had been the victim of harassment, which was confirmed by the preliminary investigation”explained the police in a press release. Transferred at the start of the year to a school located north of Helsinki, the young man entered his establishment on Tuesday carrying a firearm belonging to a relative. He opened fire, killing a boy in his class of the same age, seriously injuring two girls.

“We must be there for the children”

The suspect will not be incarcerated due to his age. The boy is under 15 years old and cannot be found criminally responsible, but he will however be handed over to the country’s social services. In the wake of the attack, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said he “deeply shocked” by this event, adding that his thoughts were with the victims, their parents, other students and teachers.

“In the coming days we must be there for children and young people, offer them words of comfort and show them that we care about them”, he stressed. “They may be scared and have questions. It’s important that we talk about the incident in our homes.”