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.[1]
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.[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 and had been stabbed in the neck and stomach, resulting in her death.[2] During the attack, a fire was started in the building, presumably by Marin, but it was quickly extinguished.[3] 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.[4]
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.[5] Based on preliminary information, he had no previous criminal record.[3]
Marin had moved to Kuopio from the municipality of Siilinjärvi at some point after matriculating in 2014.[6] He had been regularly bullied since primary school for reasons including his clothing and being overweight. He was described as quiet and lonely.[7] Marin had participated in shooting courses at the Kuopio Shooting Club.[8]
Aftermath
The Finnish Parliament (eduskunta) held a minute-long moment of silence the day after the attack to honor the victims. Finnish Prime MinisterAntti Rinne called the violence "shocking and completely unacceptable"[9] and visited Kuopio on 4 October.[10] In November 2020 the perpetrator was sentenced to life imprisonment.[11]