An attack inside a school
On the morning of 25 January 1989, a 14-year-old student arrived at Raumanmeri Secondary School in Rauma with firearms. According to Yle's historical archive, the attack had been planned in advance.
Two classmates, aged 14 and 15, were killed. The shooter also tried to harm a third classmate but missed. The event shocked Finland and was later documented by Yle as the country's first school shooting.
Police investigation
The identity of the shooter was not in dispute. Investigators examined his preparations and motives, while national discussion focused on bullying, access to firearms and youth violence. Yle reports that police did not ultimately accept bullying as the cause identified by their investigation.
Because the offender was only 14, the case did not proceed as an ordinary homicide prosecution. Under Finnish law, criminal responsibility begins at age 15. The killings were therefore resolved as to the identified offender, but no criminal conviction could be entered against him.
Long-term significance
The Raumanmeri shooting remained an important reference point in Finnish discussions of school safety. Thirty years later, Yle revisited the attack while examining changes in bullying and school violence; more recent Yle coverage has continued to place the 1989 shooting in the broader history of violence in Finnish schools.