Interior Minister on school shooting: boy used legal gun belonging to his father

Estonian Interior Minister Hanno Pevkur has revealed that the shooter was not unknown to police.

Mr Pevkur said to Delfi that the 15-year-old boy suspected of shooting a teatcher at Viljandi Paalalinna school used a legal firearm. “As far as I know the gun belonged to the father of the young man. It was not an illegal firearm.”

The minister added that an investigation needs to establish whether rules for firearm safekeeping were followed and if the parent would have to take responsibility in that regard.

According to Mr Pevkur there are preliminary suspicions suggest that the shooting might have something to do with the student and teacher getting along. The police have had certain dealings with the shooter before, but the minister refused to elaborate on details.

It is the first known school shooting in Estonia. The country has extremely tough gun-control rules and firearm ownership among the general public is low and rare.