Kuopio school stabbing

The Kuopio school stabbing occurred on 1 October 2019 at Savo Vocational College in Kuopio, Finland. Armed with a sabre, 25-year-old student Joel 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.[1]

Kuopio school stabbing
LocationKuopio, Northern Savonia, Finland
Date1 October 2019 (2019-10-01)
c. 12:29 – 12:37
TargetStudents and faculty at Savo Vocational College
Attack type
Stabbing, school attack, arson
Weapons
  • Sabre
  • Air pistol (not used)
Deaths1
Injured10 (including the perpetrator)
AccusedJoel Otto Aukusti 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 sabre (initially reported to be a sword) and began stabbing people.[1] 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. During the attack, a fire was started in the building, presumably by Marin, but it was quickly extinguished.[2] 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.[3]

Perpetrator

Joel Otto Aukusti Marin (born 1994) was a student at the college. He had reportedly been bullied since primary school. The police found several incendiary devices similar to a Molotov cocktail when they searched Marin's apartment after the attack.[4]

Marin had moved to Kuopio from the municipality of Siilinjärvi at some point after completing his abitur in 2014.[5]

Based on preliminary information, he had no previous criminal record.[2]

The suspect had been regularly bullied at school since elementary school for reasons such as his clothing and being overweight. He was described as quiet and lonely.[6] Marin has participated in shooting courses at the Kuopio Shooting Club.[7]

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"[8] and visited Kuopio on 4 October.[9]

References
  1. 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. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  2. 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. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  3. "One dead, several injured in violent incident at Kuopio college". yle.fi. Yle. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  4. "Police: Sabre-wielding Kuopio suspect a Finnish student with no criminal record". yle.fi. Yle. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  5. Tenhunen, Asta (2 October 2019). "Tässä talossa Kuopion kouluhyökkääjä Joel Marin asui – Naapuri: "Oli pikkaisen pelottavaa lukea uutisista"". ksml.fi (in Finnish). Keskisuomalainen. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  6. Vainio, Sara; Grönholm, Pauliina; Pölkki, Minna (2 October 2019). "Kuopion epäiltyä hyökkääjää kiusattiin koulussa vuosia" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  7. 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. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  8. Fortin, Jacey (1 October 2019). "Finland School Stabbing Leaves 1 Dead and 10 Injured, Police Say". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  9. "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. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
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