| Kuopio school stabbing | |
|---|---|
 Kuopio ubication where the attack happened | |
| Location | Kuopio, Northern Savonia, Finland |
| Date | 1 October 2019 (2019-10-01) c. 12:29 – 12:37 |
| Target | Students and faculty at Savo Vocational College |
| Attack type | Mass stabbing, school attack, arson |
| Weapons |
|
| Deaths | 1 |
| Injured | 10 (including the perpetrator) |
| Accused | Joel Otto Aukusti Marin |
The Kuopio school stabbing occurred on 1 October 2019 at Savo Vocational College in Kuopio, Northern Savonia, Finland. Armed with a sabre, 25-year-old student Joel Otto Aukusti Marin killed a female student and wounded nine others. He also carried an air pistol which was not used during the attack; it was initially mistaken for a real firearm. The attack ended when a policeman shot and wounded Marin.
Attack
The attack began in a classroom at Savo Vocational College, located in the premises of the Herman shopping mall. Students in the classroom described how Marin arrived to class with a "long bag", took out a longsword and began stabbing people. Police were alerted at 12:29. The attack lasted for at least eight minutes, during which Marin stabbed ten people. The only fatality was a 23-year-old Ukrainian-born woman who was a student at the college and had been stabbed in the neck and stomach, resulting in her death. During the attack, a fire was started in the building, presumably by Marin, but it was quickly extinguished. The attack ended when a policeman shot and severely wounded Marin, who was sent to the Kuopio University Hospital for treatment. The policeman was also wounded.
Perpetrator
Joel Otto Aukusti Marin (born 1994) was a student at Savo Vocational College. The police found several incendiary devices similar to a Molotov cocktail when they searched Marin's apartment after the attack. Based on preliminary information, he had no previous criminal record.
Marin had moved to Kuopio from the municipality of Siilinjärvi at some point after matriculating in 2014. He had been regularly bullied since primary school for reasons including his clothing and being overweight. He was described as quiet and lonely. Marin had participated in shooting courses at the Kuopio Shooting Club.
Aftermath
The Finnish Parliament (eduskunta) held a minute-long moment of silence the day after the attack to honor the victims. Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne called the violence "shocking and completely unacceptable" and visited Kuopio on 4 October. In November 2020 the perpetrator was sentenced to life imprisonment.
See also
References
- ^ Kerkelä, Lasse; Mäkipää, Säde; Laitinen, Joonas; Laitinen, Janne (1 October 2019). "Näin silminnäkijät kertoivat Kuopion kouluhyökkäyksestä: Raskaasti aseistautunut poliisi ampui uhkaavasti käyttäytynyttä miestä – "Mies huusi vihaisesti"" [This is what the witnesses said about the Kuopio school stabbing: heavily armed police shot a threatening man – "man yelled angrily"]. hs.fi (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- Times, The State (2019-10-11). "Attack on Finnish College Campus". The State Times. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ Pesonen, Mikko; Bjurström, Eelis (1 October 2019). "Nämä 7 asiaa tiedämme nyt Kuopion kouluhyökkäyksestä: 10 loukkaantui ja yksi kuoli, kun miesopiskelija hyökkäsi sapelin kaltaisella aseella" [These 7 facts are now known about the Kuopio school stabbing: 10 were injured and one died when a male student attacked with a sabre-like weapon]. yle.fi (in Finnish). Yle. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "One dead, several injured in violent incident at Kuopio college". yle.fi. Yle. 1 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Police: Sabre-wielding Kuopio suspect a Finnish student with no criminal record". yle.fi. Yle. 1 October 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- Tenhunen, Asta (2 October 2019). "Tässä talossa Kuopion kouluhyökkääjä Joel Marin asui – Naapuri: "Oli pikkaisen pelottavaa lukea uutisista"". ksml.fi (in Finnish). Keskisuomalainen. Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- Vainio, Sara; Grönholm, Pauliina; Pölkki, Minna (2 October 2019). "Kuopion epäiltyä hyökkääjää kiusattiin koulussa vuosia" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- Eklund, Ville (3 October 2019). "Kuopion miekkaiskun tehnyt Joel Marin osallistui ampumakurssille – poseerasi ampumapokaalin kanssa" [Perpetrator of the Kuopio sabre attack Joel Marin partook in a sharpshooting class – posed with a trophy]. mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). MTV. Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- Fortin, Jacey (1 October 2019). "Finland School Stabbing Leaves 1 Dead and 10 Injured, Police Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Pääministeri Antti Rinne vierailee Kuopiossa kouluhyökkäyksen vuoksi – tapaa kansalaisia illalla keskustassa" [Prime Minister Antti Rinne visiting Kuopio as a result of the school stabbing – meeting with citizens downtown in the evening]. mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). MTV. 4 October 2019. Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- Malinen, Markku (13 November 2020). "Kuopion kouluhyökkääjä tuomittiin elinkautiseen vankeusrangaistukseen – tuomio murhasta ja 20 murhan yrityksestä syyntakeisena". yle.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
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