Ten Dead In Finnish College Shooting
By Wyatt Earp | September 23, 2008
The alleged shooter.
It’s official: No place is safe from a psychotic random shooter anymore.
(CNN) — The suspect in a shooting rampage at a college in Finland that left at least nine dead has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, a hospital official told CNN Tuesday.
The male suspect survived for a while before dying at Tempere University Hospital, medical director Matti Lehto said. He had no family with him.
Meanwhile, Finnish police interviewed and released the suspect a day before Tuesday’s bloody carnage, MTV-3 of Finland reported.
The authorities say they became interested in the 22-year-old student after he allegedly posted violent videos on YouTube.
Personally, I think YouTube has transformed into free publicity for every crazed lone gunman who didn’t get enough attention as a child.
Officials say the man began firing at around 11 a.m. local time in a classroom at the college in the town of Kauhajoki in southwestern Finland before shooting himself.
Several other people were wounded in the attack, but officials could not immediately say how many.
Jukka Forsberg, a maintenance worker at the school, said the man was wearing a ski mask and walked into the building with a large bag, the agency said. About 150 students were on campus at the time.
Smoke billowed from a building on campus but officials could not immediately say what caused the fire. Three hours after the shooting, firefighters were still trying to bring a blaze under control, fire official Olle Peauttonen told CNN. (H/T – CNN)
Such a terrible story. I cannot help but wonder if this campus is a “no gun zone,” though. Finland does have a high rate of gun ownership, because so many of its citizens are hunters. Events like these are exactly why legal, registered gun owners should be permitted to carry their firearms on a college campus.
Topics: The Job | 7 Comments »
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I’m still trying to find the exact article since another blogger stated one news agency reported the shooter used a “22 millimeter handgun.”
I really can’t stand reading stories about firearms written by people who have no clue about them.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Kaveman – A 22mm handgun? Isn’t that the equivalent of a World War II anti-aircraft gun?
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I work in a gun-free campus, but if you are a member of law enforcement, you can carry your weapon. Last year, a student wrote a letter to the campus newspaper whinging about how scared she was because one of the students in her night class was a policeman and he sometimes carried his gun.
Silly. If something like this happened, I’d want to be in the class with the cop.
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Gun Free Zones are Target Rich Zones.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:54 pm
That is a terrible event.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Ky Person,
The real shame of it is, that everyone with a valid handgun carry permit should be allowed to carry on campus.
–Jim
September 24th, 2008 at 7:13 am
He was probably pissed that Emma Laaksonen wasn’t signing again with the Espoo Blues.. Hell, I’m halfway there myself.