2 Jan 2010

Police say gunman in Finland chose his victims

4:12 pm on 2 January 2010

Police in Finland say a man who shot and killed five people on New Year's Eve seems to have targeted his victims.

Ibrahim Shkupolli, 43, who was from Kosovo, shot four grocery store personnel in a shopping centre in the southern city of Espoo on Thursday morning.

Two were on the first floor of the shop and the other two on the second floor.

The body of his ex-girlfriend, another employee, was found in a flat nearby.

The BBC reports the woman had taken out a restraining order against Shkupolli, who had reportedly stalked her for years.

After killing her, Shkupolli returned to his own home and turned the gun on himself.

Police said on Friday his methods indicated deliberate planning.

He had a previous conviction for causing bodily harm and was twice fined for illegal possession of a handgun, in 2003 and 2007.

It was the third fatal shooting spree in Finland in three years.