2008 matti saari kills ten people at a school in finland before c 09 23
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2008 18 years ago Selected Events September 23 3 sources

A gunman shot and killed ten students at the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences in Kauhajoki, Finland, before committing suicide.

On September 23, in the year 2008, A gunman shot and killed ten students at the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences in Kauhajoki, Finland, before committing suicide. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of September 23, a notable event in this corner of history.

On 23 September 2008, a school shooting occurred at the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences (SeAMK) in Kauhajoki, Finland. The gunman, 22-year-old student Matti Juhani Saari, shot and killed ten people with a Walther P22 Target semi-automatic pistol, with nine victims having been in a classroom and one in a hallway, before shooting himself in the head. He died a few hours later at Tampere University Hospital. Three were injured in the classroom after jumping out the window with one woman also having been shot in the head. Additionally, about 30 police officers were injured after inhaling smoke.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on September 23, 2008 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 7 September 2026.

On This Date in History

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Historical Events 2013 Sep 23 Twenty-five people are killed after Typhoon Usagi passes Hong Kong and China.
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 23 Abdel Hamid al-Sarraj, Syrian colonel and politician (born 1925)
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Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 23 Ruth Patrick, American botanist and immunologist (born 1907)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 23 Henry Champ, Canadian journalist and academic (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 23 Pavel Grachev, Russian general and politician, 1st Minister of Defence for Russia (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 23 Roberto Rodríguez, Venezuelan baseball player and coach (born 1941)
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Notable Deaths 2009 Sep 23 Paul B. Fay, American sailor and politician, United States Secretary of the Navy (born 1918)
Historical Events 2008 Sep 23 Matti Saari kills ten people at a school in Finland before committing suicide.
Notable Deaths 2008 Sep 23 Peter Leonard, Australian journalist (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2008 Sep 23 Loren Pope, American journalist and author (born 1910)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 23 Malcolm Arnold, English trumpet player and composer (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 23 Etta Baker, American singer and guitarist (born 1913)
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Notable Deaths 2003 Sep 23 Yuri Senkevich, Russian physician and journalist (born 1937)
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Notable Births 1999 Sep 23 Song Yu-qi, Chinese singer
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This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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