Elderly man kills his two daughters, wife, and himself in northern town of Ylitornio
88-year-old shoots his two mentally disabled adult daughters at home and his wife at local health centre
Four people died in a family tragedy in the northern town of Ylitornio on Sunday afternoon.
An 88-year-old man shot and killed his wife, his two daughters, and then himself.
According to the local chief of police Seppo Kinnunen, the sequence of events started at the man’s home in Muurolantie, where he shot his two mentally handicapped daughters. The women were both in their fifties.
The daughters did not live in their father’s detached house, but were visiting their parents.
The man then proceeded to the Ylitornio Health Centre, where his wife was being treated on the ward.
The man fired at his wife, who later died of her injuries at the Oulu University Hospital, to which she was quickly transferred by the medi-helicopter Aslak.
“The wife was around the same age as her husband”; Kinnunen explained.
Police in Ylitornio were alerted to the shooting at the health centre at 14.45 Sunday afternoon.
The police units arrived at the health centre within three minutes, but the man had already left the scene.
The police officers were able to reach the man by telephone, but after a short conversation the man terminated the call.
From the health centre the man fled back home by car. Police followed him there, a distance of around 10 kilometres, and shortly afterwards the officers heard a single gunshot from the house.
Police officers then found the man and his daughters dead inside the building.
According to police chief Kinnunen, the man carried out the killings by using a handgun and a shotgun.
By Sunday evening, the police were still uncertain of the man’s motives.
Few details of the shooting at the health centre were given, in accordance with police instructions.
Patients and staff at the health centre were promised crisis counselling.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 16.6.2008 - TODAY |
 Elderly man kills his two daughters, wife, and himself in northern town of Ylitornio |
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