A man who shot three people dead at a McDonald’s drive-through earlier this year will face manslaughter and firearms charges. The decision to press charges against the gunman from Porvoo, southern Finland – where the shootings took place – was made by district prosecutors from Eastern Uusimaa.
Another man, who was with the gunman at the time of the shootings, will also be charged with firearms offences and shielding a known offender. The police investigation revealed that this second man fired shots into the air from the window of a car as his group fled the scene.
One man from Loviisa and two men from Askola died when they were fired at whilst queuing in a car at the McDonald’s drive-through in the early hours of 6 July. It is not known exactly why the shootings occurred but the incident is thought to have started over a trivial matter.
The gunman, who was reportedly released from prison for murder in 2009, admitted the offence after being shown CCTV footage of the event. According to Helsingin Sanomat, the gun, which was a legal weapon with the serial number filed off, was sold to the man by a dealer who was aware the buyer did not have a firearms permit.