An apartment building in Niittykumpu, Espoo, on 13 September 2025. Police shot a person during the night between Friday and Saturday in a residential apartment area in Espoo. Photo: Mikko Stig / Lehtikuva
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A police patrol fatally shot a man in Espoo’s Niittykumpu district early Saturday after he advanced toward officers with a knife.
The Western Uusimaa Police Department said the incident began at 2.49am when officers were dispatched to a residential address following a report of a suicidal person.
The confrontation took place in the stairwell of an apartment building on Rälssitilankuja. According to the police, the man behaved in a threatening manner and refused to obey commands.
He then approached one of the officers while armed with a blade.
An officer fired their service weapon to stop the man. Police administered first aid and attempted resuscitation, but the man died at the scene.
“The subject came towards another officer with a bladed weapon,” the police said in a written statement on Saturday.
Police remained at the location for several hours after the shooting. Local residents reported hearing gunshots after 3am, with emergency vehicles seen in the area until about 5am.
This marks the second fatal police shooting in the Helsinki capital region in two months. In July, officers in Helsinki’s Alppiharju district shot a man carrying a knife on the roof of a building.
According to police data, 14 people have died in Finland due to police use of force since 2000.
The Office of the Prosecutor General has launched a criminal investigation into the officers’ use of firearms. The case will be handled by its Police Crimes Unit, which takes charge in all incidents involving police use of lethal force.
A follow-up statement was issued later in the day by the Western Uusimaa Police Department. No details about the identity of the deceased have been made public.
Under Finnish law, every use of a firearm by police on duty triggers an automatic investigation to assess the lawfulness of the action.
The Niittykumpu neighbourhood, part of the Greater Tapiola area in southeast Espoo, is largely residential and connected by metro to central Helsinki.
There is no indication that any other individuals were injured in the incident. Police have not disclosed whether the man was known to authorities prior to the event.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
