The Viertola School Shooting

Editorial note: Everyone directly involved was a child. This page does not identify the shooter or victims by name and avoids sensational or graphic treatment. The factual account follows the completed police investigation.

Shooting at the Jokiranta school unit

At about 9 a.m. on 2 April 2024, police were called to the Jokiranta unit of Viertola School in Vantaa. Three 12-year-old pupils had been shot inside a classroom.

One boy died at the scene. Two girls were seriously injured and taken to hospital. The suspected shooter, also 12, had left the school before police arrived and was apprehended in Helsinki about an hour later with a handgun in his possession.

The suspect admitted the act

Police said the child admitted the shooting during interviews. Investigators established that the revolver-style handgun belonged to a close relative and had been taken without permission.

The investigation also examined motive, digital material and the suspect's conduct before and after the shooting. Police later reported that the child had developed an increased interest in school shootings and firearms-related material before the attack.

Completed investigation

Eastern Uusimaa Police concluded the criminal investigation in October 2024. Police said the shooting inside the classroom lasted about a minute and a half and involved four shots there, while additional shots were reported after the suspect left the building.

Investigators did not find evidence that the three victims had bullied or discriminated against the suspect. Police also reported that the suspect had described other pupils on a list, although those pupils were not present in the classroom when the shooting occurred.

No criminal prosecution because of age

Under Finnish law, the 12-year-old shooter was below the age of criminal responsibility. As a result, the school-shooting case was not referred to a prosecutor against the child.

A separate investigation concerned how the firearm had been stored by the relative who owned it. The school shooting itself is classified here as resolved and identified rather than adjudicated, because the offender was known but could not be criminally prosecuted due to age.