Finnish Shooter Also Burned His Victims, Mainly Women

YouTube videos show Saari firing at range

(NEWSER) - Finnish police yesterday arrested—and subsequently released—the 20-year-old they say killed 11 people, including himself, during a school shooting spree this morning, reports the Daily Telegraph. Authorities acted after finding a YouTube video of Matti Juhani Saari firing a handgun at a shooting range, and this posted message: "Whole life is war and whole life is pain. And you will fight alone in your personal war." More»

(NEWSER) - Responding to a grieving Finland, the country's prime minister called for stricter gun laws in the wake of yesterday's school shooting. Matti Vanhanen questioned the legality of private handgun ownership, calling guns more fit for shooting ranges. It may be a difficult case to make in a country with 1.6 million private firearms and where 15-year-olds can own guns, reports the BBC. More»

Boy, 9, booked on suspicion of assault

(NEWSER) - A third-grade girl was shot in the stomach yesterday at her Washington state elementary school when a loaded handgun in the backpack of a classmate apparently discharged accidentally, said officials. The girl was in critical condition last night in a Seattle hospital. The 9-year-old boy who brought the handgun has been booked into a local juvenile detention center for investigation of unlawful possession of a firearm, bringing a dangerous weapon onto school grounds, and third-degree assault, reports the Seattle Times. More»

Finnish friends urged each other to slaughter classmates

(NEWSER) - Gunmen who carried out two school massacres in Finland a year apart urged each other to slaughter their classmates, reports the Times of London. Suicidal shooter Pekka-Erik Auvinen, who killed eight near Helsinki last year, left a message of encouragement for Matti Saari to carry out his own school massacre this week that claimed ten lives. The two also played violent video games together online, according to reports in a Finnish newspaper. More»

Gunman shot himself after opening fire at vocational college

(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. More»