Ten Dead and Two Injured in College Shooting
by Britney MayCom
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The suspect, Matti Juhani Saari, after killing ten college students, has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the Pirkanmaa hospital told reporters Tuesday. Police say Saari behan firing at 10:50 a.m. local time at a classroom in the college in Southwestern Finland, Kauhajoki, before he turned the gun on himself. The gunman is thought to have been a 22 year old student of the college.
The gunman was wearing black clothing, a ski mask, explosives, and carried a Walther P22 pistol.
Saari had a YouTube profile with a tribute to Columbine High School shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, violent videos and four videos of a man firing a pistol at a shooting range. Police detained and released Saari on Monday because the videos did not threaten anyone in particular, says national police Commissioner Mikko Paatero. There was another video warning of the gunman's intentions directly before the shooting. Officials commented on the generational divide that is keeping police from properly monitoring Internet activity. The YouTube profile has since been taken down.
There was smoke visible from a building on campus. It took several hours for firefighters to tame the burning building. A large bag was seen carried on campus by Jukka Forsberg, a janitorial worker. Jukka said, "The gunman was very well prepared. He walked Calmly."
President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, spoke at a United Nations annual general assembly, expressing her regrets. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen called it a "tragic day."
This incident happened nearly a year after eight people were killed in the Jokela school shooting, November 2007.
Finland has a population of 5.3 million with a half million in capital Helsinki, and most people living in the southern part of the country. There are 1.8 million guns owned by citizens, who have a long hunting heritage. Finnish grammer school has a very low amount of sport classes compared to other European Union countries.