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Finland Kauhajoki school shooting

Finland Kauhajoki school shooting ---

11 killed including suspect suicide September 23, 2008  Finland Kauhajoki school shooting  At Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences in Western Finland. The gunman, 22-year-old hospitality .Gunman, 22-year-old student Matti Juhani Saari, shot and fatally injured ten people with a Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol, before shooting himself in the head. He died a few hours later. The incident was the second school shooting in less than a year in Finland, the other being the Jokela school shooting in November 2007, in which nine people including the gunman died. Before that, only one other school shooting had taken place in the country's history, in Raumain 1989, leaving two people dead. In the United States, the similar but apparently unconnected. Virginia Tech shooting occured in 2007. [Or could they be connected?] Although the methods and violence were similar to a terrorist attack, his stated motive was "hatred for the world". Matti Juhani Saari published his gun-related videos on the YouTube videosharing site among other places.

References:
Kauhajoki school shooting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matti Juhani Saari | Facebook
Matti Saari | Photos | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

 He used the login name of Wumpscut86 ...

    Kauhajoki school shooting

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 8/27/20125

    Kauhajoki school shooting
    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    (Redirected from Matti Juhani Saari)


    Kauhajoki school shooting

    A scene of the Kauhajoki vocational collegecampus a few hours after the shooting.
    Location Kauhajoki, Western Finland
    Coordinates 62°25′45″N 022°10′54″ECoordinates: 62°25′45″N 022°10′54″E
    Date 23 September 2008
    c. 10:40 a.m.–c. 12:30 p.m.[1](UTC+3)
    Target Kauhajoki School of Hospitality

    Attack type School shooting, mass murder,murder-suicide, arson
    Weapons
    Walther P22 Target[2]
    Homemade Molotov cocktails
    Deaths 11 (including the perpetrator)

    Non-fatal injuries 11 (1 by gunfire)[3]
    Perpetrator Matti Juhani Saari
    Motive "Hatred for mankind"


    The Kauhajoki school shooting occurred on 23 September 2008, at the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences[4] in Western Finland. The gunman, 22-year-old student Matti Juhani Saari, shot and fatally injured ten people with a Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol, before shooting himself in the head. He died a few hours later in Tampere University Hospital.[5] One woman was injured but was in a stable condition.[6][7]

    The shooting took place at the Kauhajoki School of Hospitality, owned by the Seinäjoki Municipal Federation of Education.[8] The facilities and campus were shared between the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences and the Seinäjoki Vocational Education Centre – Sedu.[8] Saari was a second-year student in a Bachelor of Hospitality Management degree programme.[9]

    The incident was the second school shooting in less than a year in Finland, the other being theJokela school shooting in November 2007, in which nine people including the gunman died. Before that, only one other school shooting had taken place in the country's history, in Raumain 1989, leaving two people dead.[10]



    Shooting[edit]

    Saari entered through the school buildings via the basement.[11] The shooting began at around 10:40 (UTC+3),[1] when roughly 200 people were assembled inside the college.[12] The emergency services received their first call at 10:46.[1] Saari was armed with a .22 LR calibreWalther P22 Target semi-automatic firearm and homemade Molotov cocktails.[13] He wore dark clothing and a balaclava (ski mask).[14][15]The school's caretaker Jukka Forsberg, who had several shots directed at him but survived, said "[The gunman] was very well prepared. He walked calmly."[16]

    A .22 LR Walther P22 pistol, of the type used by Saari during the attack

    Saari initially opened fire on a group of students taking a business studies exam, and entered at least one other classroom.[16] According to the three students who were able to escape the exam room (there were roughly 20 students taking the exam),[1] Saari had approached his victims individually before shooting them. It was also said that he was revelling in the situation and was acting very aggressively. Saari encountered little resistance, and the massacre was concluded relatively quickly. He then covered the classroom in a flammable liquid, believed to be petrol, and set the room alight.[17]

    A Sisu Pasi armoured vehicle near the scene of the shooting.

    A student in an adjacent classroom, Sanna Orpana, said that her class had heard "shooting and a kind of a rumble like tables falling down." Orpana believed at the time that the noise may have been coming from a toy gun, and two other students went to investigate the noise. Saari shot at them, and the remaining students in Orpana's classroom hid under a table before running upstairs.[18] At some point between 10:45–11:00 Saari ran down a corridor and threw a petrol bomb into a language laboratory. He then shot out all of the windows in the school's main corridor, that extended through the building. It was during this time that he also took aim at Forsberg.[1]

    A fire engine and police cars outside the school.

    A police van with two officers arrived a short time after the shootings began, at around 11:00. They entered the yard of the college where they were shot at by Saari, and forced to retreat. From around 11:45 to 12:00 further police units, bolstered by a number of armoured vehicles, began to arrive on the scene. They attempted to enter the building through the main corridor, but this assault was aborted due to the black smoke that was emanating from within the building.[1]
    Aftermath[edit]

    Having escaped the buildings in a variety of ways (including through doors and out of windows), some students found themselves impeded by a river that adjoined the school.[1] However, some were able to use rowing boats as a means of escape.[13] Saari started fires at several other locations within the school buildings, and the fire in the exam room damaged some of the bodies so badly that they had to be identified from DNA and dental records.[19][20][21] Nine of the victims were found in the exam room, and one in a nearby corridor.[13] It was later ascertained that this student had fled the burning classroom and then died in the corridor.[22] Eight of the victims were female students, one a male student, and one a male member of staff. All of the students killed were in their 20s, and the teacher was in his 50s.[11] A 21-year-old woman was shot in the head but had two operations in the days after sustaining her injury, and was reported as being in a satisfactory condition.[23] A further ten students were treated for minor injuries including sprains and cuts from broken glass. All the victims were classmates of Saari's.[11][24] Saari was originally from Pohjois-Pohjanmaa, but lived in Kauhajoki where he was enrolled on his catering course at the college.[7][25] It was later revealed that the male student was probably a close friend of Saari's. The pair had spent an evening out together in February 2008 when they were threatened with a starter pistol. A photo of them together had been circulating on the Internet, in which Saari jokingly points at his friend's head with his forefinger.[17] The names of the other victims were withheld by police.

    An YLE broadcasting van near the school buildings.

    Firefighters extinguished the fires without any major damage to the school. Saari remained at large for some time in the school grounds after they had been evacuated. Two days after the killings, a friend of Saari's, named Rauno, told 7 päivää that at 11:53 he received a call from Saari in which he confessed to having killed ten people. Saari is claimed to have spoken to Rauno in a calm manner, telling him that he wanted to say goodbye.[26] He was found alive by the police at 12:30, having shot himself in the head.[1] He was taken to Tampere University Hospital, where he was treated for his gunshot wound. He died a short time later at 17:40.[27][28]

    With a total of ten people killed, it was the deadliest peacetime attack in Finnish history, surpassing the previous highest count of eight in the Jokela school shooting. It was the deadliest attack on a school campus since April 2007, when Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people during the Virginia Tech shooting.[29] Saari had fired a total of nearly 200 shots, including shots into the air.[30] The highest number of shots inflicted to a single victim was twenty.[31]
    Perpetrator[edit]

    Matti Juhani Saari (20 May 1986 – 23 September 2008) was identified as the gunman responsible for the shooting. At the time of the shooting, he was a hospitality management student at the school.[32]
    Motive[edit]

    Saari in a photograph uploaded by him under the title "Wumpscut (2)" on the day of the shooting.

    Saari left behind two handwritten notes in his school dormitory stating that his motive for the shooting was: "I hate the human race." He also wrote: "The solution is Walther 22", a reference to the handgun used in the shooting. The notes revealed that he had been planning the massacre for six years. A police spokesperson commented: "Saari left notes saying he had a hatred for mankind, for the whole of the human race, and that he had been thinking about what he was going to do for years. The notes show he was very troubled and he hated everything."[13] One former classmate, Susanna Keronen, stated: "He was happy, a social guy –– there was nothing exceptional – and he got along with people well and he was not lonely. He had friends."[33] However, Saari had a history of violence: he had been thrown out of the Finnish Army in 2006, after being a member for only a month for opening fire in a woodland exercise, against orders.[34]

    Police were also investigating whether a copycat element was involved after it emerged that both Saari and Pekka-Eric Auvinen, the gunman in the Jokela school shooting, had bought their guns from the same store. Both gunmen had taken photographs of themselves in similar poses, and Jari Neulaniemi, the detective leading the Kauhajoki investigation, said that it was "very likely" that the two men had been in contact at some point. Both had been part of a group of people, who centred their activities around YouTube and Finnish social networking siteIRC-Galleria, who were interested in school shootings. This community, which included members from Finland,Germany, and the United States, exchanged videos related to school shootings.[35][36]

    Police said that although most of the victims were female, the motive did not seem to be a hatred of women.[37]Rauno stated in his interview that Saari had opted for a catering course in order to be surrounded by female students. Saari had told Rauno that he had been the victim of bullying in secondary school, and later upper secondary, and that he had had to drop out for this reason. Rauno said that Saari's behaviour had begun to worry him over two years before the shootings, when Saari began expressing a fondness for guns and an admiration of the school shootings in the United States. He said that around 18 months previously Saari had sent him a message saying that he would carry out a school shooting the next day. Saari reportedly denied being serious about carrying out his threat.[26] A friend of Saari also reported that he had been seeing a psychologist in the months before the shooting, and had been obsessed with guns.[22]

    Police said after their preliminary investigation (March 2009) that they were unable to determine the underlying motives of Saari. They added that he had committed his crimes alone: 200 people were interviewed during the investigation, none of whom said they knew of Saari's plans. Contact with Auvinen was also ruled out.[38]
    Internet videos and photographs[edit]

    Saari declares in English "You will die next" in an Internet video posted before the shooting.

    In the weeks leading up to the incident, Saari had posted several videos on YouTube under the username of "Wumpscut86", showing him firing a handgun at a local shooting range. The YouTube user channel was accompanied by the quote "Whole life is war and whole life is pain. And you will fight alone in your personal war". These are lyrics from the song "War" by the German industrialproject :wumpscut:.[39] Among the user's YouTube account favourites was footage of the Columbine High School massacre.[16][39][40] Saari listed his interests on YouTube as "horror movies, guns, sex, beer and computers."[7] YouTube suspended the account, on which he called himself "Mr. Saari", as soon as news reports linking him to the shooting emerged. A spokesman for YouTube commented that the site operated a zero tolerance policy towards threats and incitement to violence.[20][41]Finnish police had been informed about the YouTube videos in an anonymous tip-off on the Friday before the shooting. The police talked to Saari and searched his home on the day before the incident, Monday 22 September. They found no reason to arrest him as he held a temporary weapons permit.[20] In August 2008, Saari had obtained a licence for a .22-calibre (5.6 mm) pistol. The police said that Saari did not have a criminal record.[40] However, a police inspector was subsequently charged with dereliction of duty, and his court case began in September 2009.[42]

    Saari also posted another video on a Finnish social networking site, in which he pointed a gun at the camera and said in English "You will die next", followed by firing four shots in the direction of the camera. This video was not available to the police when Saari was questioned. A police spokesperson commented: "The only video we saw was where he was shooting at the range. It was only afterwards that much more information came out." Police said that Saari would have been detained if they had known about this video at the time of the questioning.[19] Police said that they believed Saari's videos were shot by someone else, and that they were trying to identify who this person was.[13] The Chief Investigator of the case, Jari Neulaniemi, speculated that the cameraman may have been the friend of Saari's who was murdered.[17]

    Saari's account on IRC-Galleria, which contained similar gun-wielding photos, was also suspended.[43] Interior Minister Anne Holmlundannounced that the actions of the police would be investigated.[44] Police Commissioner Mikko Paatero said that Finnish police would increase their monitoring of YouTube and other social networking sites, and when asked whether similar attacks could take place in the future, he replied: "I badly fear it's possible."[37]
    Response[edit]

    A national flag flown outside the school at half-mast. This practice was observed across the country on September 24.[45]
    Main article: Reactions to Kauhajoki school shooting

    On the day of the incident, a crisis meeting was held, with government ministers, chairs of the parliamentary groups, and police officials all in attendance.[46] The Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen described it as a "tragic day" and appealed for unity in the hope "that events like these will not happen again."[16] A national day of mourning was declared for the following day,[47] and Vanhanen travelled to Kauhajoki to meet with students.[48]

    Within days of the shooting, the police said they had received a sizeable number of tip-offs alerting them to suspicious photographs, videos, and comments on chat rooms.[49] Finnish media reported that several bomb threats and other threatening messages were circulating among students nationwide in the few days after the shootings as well.
    See also[edit]
    Gun politics in Finland
    Jokela school shooting
    Sello mall shooting
    Sanna Sillanpää
    References[edit]

    ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h "Gunman sprayed bullets in classroom and corridor, and threw petrol bombs". Helsingin Sanomat. 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
    Jump up^ "Keskustelupalstoilla arvaillaan jo Kauhajoen ampujaa" (in Finnish). Iltalehti.fi. 2008-09-23. RetrievedJanuary 16, 2009.
    Jump up^ "At Least 11 Dead after Kauhajoki School Shooting". YLE. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
    Jump up^ "Shooting incident in Kauhajoki". News. Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences. 2008-09-23. Retrieved2008-09-23. Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences and the Vocational Education Centre Sedu have encountered a tragic shooting incident in their joint premises in Kauhajoki, 60 kilometres from Seinäjoki. A student of the university of applied sciences has killed at least nine other people with gun shots.
    Jump up^ Cser, Attila (2008-09-23). "Gunman kills 10, self in Finnish school shooting". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-09-24.The killer, 22-year-old Matti Saari, started a fire in the school and then shot himself in the head. He died later in Tampere University Hospital.
    Jump up^ "Police: Victims Were Shooter's Classmates; One In Stable Condition". YLE News. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
    ^ Jump up to:a b c Rayner, Gordon (2008-09-23). "Finnish school shooting: how killer 'calmly' picked off his victims". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
    ^ Jump up to:a b "Kauhajoen tragediaa koskeva tiedotustilaisuus 24.9.2008". Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
    Jump up^ "Tavallisen oloinen nuorukainen kertoi internetissä vihaavansa ihmisiä" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. 2008-09-23. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
    Jump up^ "School Shootings Rare in Finland". YLE. 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
    ^ Jump up to:a b c "Finland mourns shooting victims". Al-Jazeera English. 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
    Jump up^ "Saari’s online messages turned increasingly sinister over time". Helsingin Sanomat. 2008-09-24. Retrieved2008-09-24.
    ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Nick Allen (2008-09-24). "Finland school shooting: Gunman planned massacre for six years". London:The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
    Jump up^ "'Nine dead' in Finland shooting". Belfast Telegraph. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23. Police have said the gunman, a 20-year-old student at the school in the southwestern town of Kauhajoki, then shot himself but his condition is unclear. Police Superintendent Jussi Muotio said: "The incident is over now," but declined to give more details. [..] The gunman was carrying a semi-automatic weapon and wearing a ski mask when he entered the college, reports said.
    Jump up^ "'Several dead' in Finland shooting". Al Jazeera English. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23. Mia Ylonen, a radio journalist, told Al Jazeera from Helsinki: "The man entered the school via the basement wearing a balaclava and carrying a briefcase. [...] The subsequent shooting lasted for about 90 minutes, witnesses said.
    ^ Jump up to:a b c d "Finnish school gunman kills 10". BBC News. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23. At least nine people have been killed and two others seriously wounded in a shooting spree at a vocational college in Finland, local reports say. Police said the gunman, thought to be a 20-year-old student Matti Juhani Saari, then shot himself, although his condition is now unclear. [..] Tuesday's shootings in Kauhajoki, some 330 km (210 mi) north of the capital, Helsinki, began just before 1100 local time (0800 GMT) [..] But hospital sources and the mayor of the town were later quoted as saying the attacker had turned his gun on himself.
    ^ Jump up to:a b c "Gunman Saari said he was enjoying the situation, eyewitnesses report – police describe killings as slaughter". Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
    Jump up^ Nick Allen (2008-09-26). "Finland school shooting: Gunman Matti Saari made phone call during slaughter". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-09-26.
    ^ Jump up to:a b Charter, David (2008-09-24). "Finnish gunman Matti Saari burnt bodies after massacre". London: The Times. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
    ^ Jump up to:a b c "School Gunman's Chilling Threat". Sky News. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
    Jump up^ "Finland school shooting victims identified". Associated Press. 2008-09-27. Retrieved 2008-09-30.[dead link]
    ^ Jump up to:a b Allen, Nick (2008-09-25). "Finland shooting: Two school killers bought guns in same shop". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
    Jump up^ Marius Turula (2008-09-24). "2 school shootings in Finland, many similarities". Associated Press. Retrieved2008-09-27.[dead link]
    Jump up^ "Police: Shooter Was Driven by Rage". YLE. 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
    Jump up^ "Kuka avusti Kauhajoen ampujaa nettivideoiden teossa?". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved January 16,2009.
    ^ Jump up to:a b "THURSDAY 15:00: Friend says Saari called him shortly after school shooting". Helsingin Sanomat. 2008-09-25. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
    Jump up^ "Poliisi ei poistanut asetta ampujalta maanantaina". YLE (in Finnish). Retrieved 2008-09-23.
    Jump up^ "Kauhajoen ampuja on kriittisessä tilassa" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
    Jump up^ Kati Pohjanpalo (2008-09-23). "Finnish Student Kills 10 at College, Commits Suicide (Update2)". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
    Jump up^ "Kahuajoki Investigations Continue – Photos Published". YLE. 2008-09-26. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
    Jump up^ "Police say Saari fired nearly 200 shots, spoke on phone during school shootings". Helsingin Sanomat. 2008-09-30. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
    Jump up^ "11 killed in Finnish school shooting". Dawn. 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2008-09-24.[dead link]
    Jump up^ Reuters (2008-09-24). "Gunman kills 10 in Finnish school (+pics)". Stuff. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
    Jump up^ Nick Allen (2008-09-26). "Finland school shooting: Gunman Matti Saari made phone call during slaughter". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
    Jump up^ "Admirers of school killers exchange views on Internet". Helsingin Sanomat. 2008-09-26. Retrieved2008-09-27.
    Jump up^ Allen, Nick (2008-09-24). "Finland school shooting: Gunman had contact with 2007 school killer". Telegraph(London). Retrieved 2008-11-05.
    ^ Jump up to:a b "Finland fears copycat attacks, Sweden arrests teen". Associated Press. 2008-09-25. Retrieved2008-09-25.[dead link]
    Jump up^ "Kauhajoki Shooter’s Motive Remains Mystery". YLE. 2009-03-25. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
    ^ Jump up to:a b Rayner, Gordon (2008-09-23). "Finnish school shooting: Police 'investigate YouTube link'". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
    ^ Jump up to:a b Matti Huuhtanen (2008-09-23). "Gunman opens fire at school, 9 dead". Associated Press. Retrieved2008-09-23.[dead link]
    Jump up^ Lee Glendinning, Anil Dawar and agencies (2008-09-23). "Finnish gunman dies in hospital after killing 10 at school". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
    Jump up^ "Families of Kauhajoki Victims Seek Compensation for Death of Loved Ones". YLE. 2009-08-06. Retrieved2009-11-14.
    Jump up^ A screenshot of Saari's IRC-Galleria photo gallery
    Jump up^ "Inquiry into Police Actions Prior to Kauhajoki Tragedy". YLE. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
    Jump up^ "Flags At Half Staff In Wake Of Shooting". YLE. 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
    Jump up^ "Government Vows to Take Action Following Kauhajoki". YLE. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
    Jump up^ Stevenson, Rachel (2008-09-24). "Finland school massacre brings day of mourning and review of gun laws". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
    Jump up^ "Prime Minister Meets With Students". YLE. 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
    Jump up^ "Schools Evacuated due to Text Message Threats". YLE. 2008-09-25. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
    External links[edit]

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