A residential building on Mechelininkatu in Helsinki’s Töölö district on 30 September 2025. In the shooting that took place there on Monday evening, a 16-year-old boy was injured and taken to hospital but is not in life-threatening condition according to police. Photo: Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Lehtikuva
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Police in Helsinki are searching for a man dressed in dark clothing following a shooting that injured a 16-year-old boy in the Töölö district on Monday evening.
The incident took place around 18:30 in the stairwell of an apartment building on Mechelininkatu. According to investigators, the boy was struck by several bullets in different parts of his body. He was taken to hospital but has since been released and is no longer in danger.
Tuomas Lindholm, the lead investigator and chief inspector at Helsinki Police Department, confirmed the shooting occurred inside the stairwell and involved a handgun. One of the bullets penetrated a door into an apartment where the victim had been moments earlier.
The suspect, who fled the scene heading north along Mechelininkatu, remains at large. Police have not ruled out the possibility that he is still armed. Authorities are asking for public assistance in locating him and have provided a tip line at 046 922 4651.
Investigators said it is unclear whether the suspect and the victim knew each other. The boy had exited an apartment to meet acquaintances at the front entrance of the building when he encountered the suspect already inside the stairwell.
“There were several young people in the apartment,” Lindholm said. “They were not detained but were questioned on site to clarify their role. Once we confirmed they were not involved in the shooting, they were released.”
The firearm used has not been recovered. The incident is being investigated as attempted manslaughter and a firearms offence.
Police said one bullet struck the apartment door and another embedded in the wall structure of the stairwell. No other injuries were reported. The motive for the attack is not yet known.
Lindholm did not comment on whether the case is linked to drugs or a dispute between youths.
“The investigation is still in the early stages,” he said. “We are collecting information through eyewitness interviews and technical and tactical analysis.”
At least ten police units were dispatched to the location shortly after the emergency call was received. Officers secured the area and conducted searches in and around the building. By 22:00, five police vehicles remained on site, and officers continued interviewing residents.
The situation did not pose an ongoing threat to the public, police confirmed later in the evening.
Authorities are urging anyone who saw the man fleeing the area, or has other relevant information, to come forward.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
