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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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9 Dead In Finland School Shooting

Gunman shot himself after opening fire at vocational college

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(Newser) – A shooting spree at a vocational college in Finland has left nine people dead and several others wounded, reports the BBC. The gunman, who is believed to be a 20-year-old student, entered the college wearing a ski mask and carrying an automatic weapon. Police say he finally turned the gun on himself, although his condition remains unclear.

An estimated 200 students were at the college in Kauhajoki, a town about 200 miles north of Helsinki, when the gunman opened fire at around 11am. Eyewitnesses saw students covered in blood leaving the scene and reported that several rooms in the college were on fire. Finland has one of the world's highest rates of gun ownership; a similar school shooting last year killed eight people.

An ambulance attends the scene of a school shooting in Kauhajoki, Finland, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008.
An ambulance attends the scene of a school shooting in Kauhajoki, Finland, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008.   (AP Photo)
A map locates Kauhajoki, Finland, site of a school shooting this morning.
A map locates Kauhajoki, Finland, site of a school shooting this morning.   (AP Photo)
Finnish police say they've disarmed a gunman at a school in western Finland after he opened fire on students.
Finnish police say they've disarmed a gunman at a school in western Finland after he opened fire on students.   (AP Photo)
Police vehicles at a school in Kauhajoki, Finland. A gunman opened fire today on students at a vocational school for adults in western Finland and then shot himself, police said.
Police vehicles at a school in Kauhajoki, Finland. A gunman opened fire today on students at a vocational school for adults in western Finland and then shot himself, police said.   (AP Photo/Jussi Mustikkamaa)
Police vehicles at a school in Kauhajoki, Finland. A gunman opened fire today on students at a vocational school for adults in western Finland and then shot himself, police said.
Police vehicles at a school in Kauhajoki, Finland. A gunman opened fire today on students at a vocational school for adults in western Finland and then shot himself, police said.   (AP Photo)
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