Officers from the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department arrested a man carrying a firearm on Monday 15 June in the center of Järvenpää (37 kilometers north of Helsinki). Police shot the suspect, who was refusing to turn in the gun.
However, a new police report released Tuesday indicates that the shot man was carrying a plastic ball airsoft gun. These are weapons that imitate real ones but whose potential to cause damage is much lower and are sold in normal sports or leisure stores.
According to police information, around 21:30 the police received a report of a man carrying a gun in his hand and moving on Myllytie, one of the main streets of Järvenpää. Several patrols were sent to the scene and the police reached the person at about 21:45.
Shot in the thigh
Police says the man disobeyed police orders to give up the weapon. "Police had to fire a shot that hit the man in the thigh," the Eastern Uusimaa department said in a press release. The wounded man received first aid on the spot and was later transferred to the hospital.
The man shot is suspected of violent resistance to authority, according to the latest police statement.
The Prosecutor General, who has been informed of the case, is responsible for the investigation of the of the weapon by police officers. In all other respects, the case is being investigated by the Helsinki Police Department.
