Again Tradgedy Strikes Finland - Flags at Half Mast

[Classic Finn]

Once again on the news, Tradgedy Strikes our little country of Finland known for peace and safety ..Flags flying at half mast throughout the Land.

http://www.hs.fi/english/article/bBREAK ... 5239657999

Latest News.

School Shooting in Kauhajoki, Nine Dead - Many Injured
Incident continues.

BREAKING NEWS: School shooting in Kauhajoki - Nine dead, many injured
Man enters school armed with automatic pistol and opens fire on class of adult students before turning gun on himself



Nine people, all students, have been killed in a shooting incident at a vocational school in Kauhajoki in Western Finland. Several others have been injured.
Details are still sketchy, but apparently a 22-year-old man dressed in black and wearing a ski-mask entered the school carrying a large bag, and opened fire on students at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
An eyewitness spoke of many rounds of automatic fire in a ground-floor classroom containing adult students taking an exam.
Police at the scene immediately reported several fatalities, but the true death-toll was only made clear some hours after the incident.

The building has been evacuated, and the gunman - thought to have acted alone - has apparently shot himself, and is believed to have been rushed to hospital in Tampere with serious head injuries.
Initial reports said he was among the dead, but this was later denied.

Around 150 students and staff-members were in the building at the time.
Part of the school caught fire, for as yet unknown reasons, but firefighters put the blaze out.

The tragic incident is bound to reopen wounds from last November's hugely traumatic shooting at Jokela High School, when a deranged youth killed eight before turning his gun on himself.

In a grim reminder of what happened in Jokela in November last year, reports are already surfacing of videos on YouTube allegedly depicting a young man from Kauhajoki firing pistols at a shooting range.
As is now all too well known, a similar connection was made with the young man who opened fire at Jokela High School.

Members of the Finnish government have met in special session to assess the situation. The Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE reports that Education Minister Sari Sarkomaa, Minister of the Interior Anne Holmlund, and Minister of Health and Social Services Paula Risikko are meeting to discuss the shooting in Kauhajoki. The chairs of the various parliamentary groups as well as police and other officials are also be present.
The college in Kauhajoki - part of the campus of the Seinäjoki Vocational Training Centre - has now been cordoned off, and media representatives are being kept some 200 metres from the site of the shooting.
The Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE has also reported that police are currently investigating whether there might be a bomb planted in another building close to the vocational school. It was thought that the gunman may have been carrying explosives as well as the small-calibre automatic pistol he used to shoot his victims.
A number of ambulances and other emergency vehicles were still parked outside the school at 14:20 on Tuesday afternoon.

We shall naturally update the fast-moving story as more news arrives.

We dont know what to say or how to react once again. All we can say Scandinavia has changed and not for the better as we have grown up with.

Most of us are in a state of silence and shock as again the wounds from November 2007 Shoooting comes to life.

So sad and tragic.

Classic Finn

[Miriam C.]

Heikki, we sure feel for the families of these young people. Mike and I read this earlier but the details vary wildly so we didn't know what was true.

[Classic Finn]

Heikki, we sure feel for the families of these young people. Mike and I read this earlier but the details vary wildly so we didn't know what was true.

Were getting more and more details as the hours go on. Not all has been given yet.

[Mark & Andrea Jones]

Our condolences. As a member of a small community that went thru the Virginia Tech shooting of 04/16/07 in Blacksburg, VA, all you can do is to wait and get the facts. As you probably know, the hardest thing will not only be to remember the victims, but also to understand and forgive. Heike, our prayers are with you and your countrymen and women.

Maybe we can ALL learn from these experiences to pay more attention to the needs of the people around us.

Andrea.

[Eunice]

Heikki I am so sorry to hear of this. My heart goes out to the families. It is so tragic to have things like this happen. I pray that things will change and get better for all of us.

[Classic Finn]

11 known Dead Found. Shooter died.

Also a bomb search is underway.

Also the Internet was used to warn about the happening and also quite a bit of information about the shooter himself was given beforehand.

Strange that the police spoke with him just Monday our time about his gun permit.l Nothing peculiar was suspected.

News of the tradgedy broke around the world already 11:30 AM already.

[Mary K]

This is terribly sad Heikki. I fell so bad for the families and community effected in this tragedy. My heart goes out to y'all.


Mk

[Classic Finn]

How many innocent people have to die in front of these nuts yet? And for what purpose?

Young students with their future still ahead. Where next we ask ourselves.

So many questions and thoughts with our countrymen this evening.

Once again our government has held emergency meetings about this event. The 2nd time in a year. What is the solution to preventing this a 3rd time or even 4th time.

I dont understand the reasoning behind all this.

Im deeply saddened with all this and they are not even our children. However we do feel for the victims parents, brothers and sisters and relatives.

Speechless to say the least.

Classic Finn

[Classic Finn]

UPDATED 18:30: School shooting in Kauhajoki - Eleven dead, many injured
22-year-old man enters school armed with automatic pistol and opens fire on class of adult students before turning gun on himself


Eleven people, apparently all students, have been killed in a shooting incident and fire at a vocational school in Kauhajoki in Western Finland. Several others have been injured.
Details are still sketchy, but apparently a 22-year-old man dressed in black and wearing a ski-mask entered the school carrying a large bag, and opened fire on students at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
An eyewitness spoke of many rounds of automatic fire in a ground-floor classroom containing adult students taking an exam.
Police at the scene immediately reported several fatalities, but the true death-toll was only made clear some hours after the incident.

The building has been evacuated, and the gunman - thought to have acted alone - shot himself in the head after his killing spree.
The man, named as Matti Juhani Saari, was rushed to hospital in Tampere, but died at around 5 p.m., so becoming the 11th fatality of the incident. It is believed that Saari shot nine people, and that one other fatality may have succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning following a fire that broke out during the shooting.
At least one person with gunshot wounds remains in a serious condition in hospital. Most of the injured persons suffered only minor injuries, in many cases while trying to make their escape from the school building.

Around 150 students and staff-members were in the building at the time of the shooting.
Part of the school caught fire, possibly through the actions of the gunman, but firefighters put the blaze out. As noted above, the fire may have been the cause for at least one fatality, and police have not completely ruled out the possibility of further casualties coming to light.

[Classic Finn]

This just in..

Police are looking for a 2nd person involved who assisted the shooter in uploading plans for the attack onto U Tube and Finnish Internet.

One male teacher found dead in the school as well. More victims likely to be found however total stands now at 11 plus the attacker so far.

Some of the bodies will take time to be identified due to severe burns caused by fire outbreak in the school at the start of shooting.




Candles are lit throughout the Country this evening to mourn the loss.

[Classic Finn]

Police had questioned the attacker already Monday local Finnish Time due to the material found on You Tube.

So there most definitely is a 2nd person involved who assisted in producing the video and material say the Police.

Also the people in charge or owners of You Tube will be questioned and possible charges made for allowing material such as this to be presented even though You Tube has been cited before for not controlling or forbidding similar videos.

[SamR]

So sorry Heikki. My thoughts are with you.

[Classic Finn]

So sorry Heikki. My thoughts are with you.

Thank You.

[Classic Finn]

Police knew of Internet threats on Monday - suspect interviewed but released


According to Minister of the Interior Anne Holmlund (National Coalition Party), the police in Kauhajoki interviewed the suspected gunman, 22-year-old Matti Juhani Saari, on Monday, after he had published a shooting video on the Internet.
Police said that the interview did not give cause for any further action, and Saari was released.

Holmlund has stated that the gunman had a firearms licence that was issued in August.
The gun was his first. It is thought the weapon used in the shootings was a Walther P22 pistol.

Speaking at a government press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Holmlund promised that there would be a full and detailed inquiry into the police actions.
Police chief Mikko Paatero commented at the same press gathering that the officer who had spoken to the suspected gunman on Monday was experienced and competent. He also pointed out that all that was to be seen on the video was a man firing legally at a shooting range. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre Party) expressed his extreme sadness at the fact that it had not been possible to prevent the killings, even though there had been advance hints of what might happen.

[martha24]

Heikki, So sorry to hear of the tragedy in your country.

What a great pity that anyone thinks such a thing is a solution to anything or thinks that this is the way to become famous. My prayers are with you and your country.