Shock as schoolboy, 12, kills classmate in gun rampage

Two children seriously wounded as youngsters dived for cover

- Mark Reynolds

A BOY of 12 fatally shot one classmate and injured two other youngsters at a secondary school in Finland yesterday.

A suspect was pinned to the floor and arrested by police in the city of Vantaa, where officers were seen kneeling on the boy, with a handgun discarded at his side.

Classmates had frantically dived for cover as the boy opened fire, and terrified children called their parents from inside the building as the horror unfolded.

Shooting

Police later confirmed three youngsters all aged 12-had been injured in the shooting but one tragically died from their injuries at a nearby hospital.

Officers responded to the Viertola school at around 9am local time.

Alarmed residents living nearby were ordered to remain indoors.

The suspect was later detained, but Finnish broadcaster MTV Uutiset reported that officers caught him a 50-minute walk from the school.