Jokela School Shooting

Jokela, Tuusula, Finland · 2007

solved Mass / school shooting November 7, 2007

Perpetrator

Pekka-Eric Auvinen

Pekka-Eric Auvinen was an 18-year-old student at Jokela High School who carried out the shooting. He had posted videos and writings online expressing nihilistic and social-Darwinist views and admiration for past school shooters, and uploaded a video titled 'Jokela High School Massacre' before the attack. He shot himself in the head after the rampage and died later that day in hospital.

Known Victims

At least 8 total — known victims include:

Jukka-Pekka Mcritique

Location

Jokela High School (Jokelan koulukeskus), Jokela, Tuusula, Finland

Summary

An 18-year-old student opened fire at Jokela High School in southern Finland, killing eight people before fatally shooting himself.

Details

On 7 November 2007, Pekka-Eric Auvinen, an 18-year-old student, entered Jokela High School in the village of Jokela, Tuusula municipality, Finland, armed with a .22 calibre semi-automatic pistol. He shot and killed eight people, including the school's headmistress, the school nurse, and six students, and wounded others before turning the gun on himself. He had foreshadowed the attack in online videos and writings espousing extreme nihilist views. He died of his self-inflicted wound later that day. The attack was the deadliest school shooting in Finland at the time and prompted national debate over gun laws.

Overview

The Jokela School Shooting occurred on 7 November 2007 at the Jokela High School (Jokelan koulukeskus), a combined comprehensive and upper-secondary school complex in the village of Jokela, part of the municipality of Tuusula in southern Finland. An 18-year-old student, Pekka-Eric Auvinen, opened fire inside the school building, killing eight people before turning the weapon on himself. He died later that day of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being taken to hospital.

The attack was one of the deadliest acts of violence in modern Finnish history and the country's first major school shooting of its kind. It shocked Finland, a nation with low rates of violent crime, and prompted national debate over firearms legislation, youth mental health, and the role of the internet in radicalising the attacker. The killings were planned in advance and announced online shortly before they took place.

The Perpetrator

Pekka-Eric Auvinen was an 18-year-old upper-secondary student at the school he attacked. In the period before the shooting he maintained an active online presence, posting messages, writings and videos that expressed admiration for earlier mass killings, a contempt for humanity, and ideas drawn from social Darwinism, nihilism and notions of natural selection. He styled himself in these materials using pseudonyms and presented the planned attack as a deliberate ideological statement.

Hours before the shooting, Auvinen uploaded a video to YouTube foreshadowing the attack, and he had left other writings describing his intentions. He had legally acquired a .22 calibre semi-automatic pistol, for which he held a licence obtained shortly before the attack. Investigators later concluded that the shooting was premeditated over a period of time rather than an impulsive act.

The Shooting

On the morning of 7 November 2007, Auvinen entered the school and began shooting. Over the course of the attack he killed eight people. The victims included the school's headmistress, the school nurse, and six students. Several other people were injured, some by gunfire and others by broken glass as they fled or were evacuated from the building.

As police arrived and surrounded the school, Auvinen shot himself in the head. He was found critically wounded and transported to hospital in Helsinki, where he died of his injuries that evening. The rapid sequence of the attack and the perpetrator's suicide meant the violence was over within a short period, though the evacuation and securing of the building continued for some time.

Investigation and Aftermath

Finnish authorities launched an extensive investigation, examining Auvinen's online activity, his acquisition of the firearm, and the warning signs that preceded the attack. The case raised difficult questions about how an individual expressing violent intentions online had been able to legally obtain a handgun, and about whether earlier intervention had been possible.

The shooting led to calls for tighter gun-control measures in Finland, including proposals to raise the minimum age for handgun licences and to strengthen background checks. These debates intensified the following year after a second fatal school shooting at Kauhajoki in September 2008, which further accelerated reforms to Finnish firearms law.

Legacy

The Jokela shooting remains a defining tragedy in Finnish public memory and is frequently cited in international discussions of school violence and the influence of online subcultures that glorify mass killings. The community of Jokela and the wider Tuusula municipality observed periods of mourning, and memorials were held for the victims.

In the broader context, Jokela and the subsequent Kauhajoki attack prompted Finland to review its relatively permissive firearms culture and to implement stricter licensing rules. The case is also studied for what it revealed about the role of the internet in enabling a would-be attacker to publicise and rationalise violence before carrying it out.

Video Coverage

Frequently asked questions

What was the Jokela School Shooting case?

An 18-year-old student opened fire at Jokela High School in southern Finland, killing eight people before fatally shooting himself.

Who was responsible for Jokela School Shooting?

Pekka-Eric Auvinen. Pekka-Eric Auvinen was an 18-year-old student at Jokela High School who carried out the shooting. He had posted videos and writings online expressing nihilistic and social-Darwinist views and admiration for past school shooters, and uploaded a video titled 'Jokela High School Massacre' before the attack. He shot himself in the head after the rampage and died later that day in hospital.

How many victims were there in the Jokela School Shooting case?

At least 8 victims are associated with this case, including named victims such as Jukka-Pekka Mcritique.

Where and when did the Jokela School Shooting case take place?

It took place in Jokela, Tuusula, Finland in 2007.

Was the Jokela School Shooting case solved?

This case is recorded as solved.

Sources & further reading

See an error or have an update? Report a correction. We review every request.